Mutant Life Problems
by NightFae
Summary: Post XMen 3. Ryro RoguePyro! with a little of BobbyKitty JeanLoganOroro triangle and MagnetoCharles....and a lot more! What happens next XMen 3? New enemies, new problems...
1. There is nothing good on TV!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

_Chapter One – There is nothing good on TV!_

Rogue was sitting in the living room, alone, and the only light in the room was from the TV. She was zapping, thinking that nothing good was passing and that that wouldn't change, because it was around 3 am. She couldn't sleep, not with all that stuff in her head, the return of Professor X and is marvelous (yes, marvelous, Rogue never saw or thought seeing something like that) transition for his dead body; Bobby leaving her for Kitty, she didn't blame the boy, no, quite the contrary, he was and still is nice with her and he always loved Kitty. Rogue thanked him for not insist in having sex with her and then dump her, this way hurts less, but still hurts though… a lot.

"There's nothing good on TV!" she said.

The new relationship between Logan and Ororo also bugged her! It seemed that even Logan was settling in, and she had to admit she was a little jealous, Rogue still had a crush for him, and now he seemed… happy, with another woman.

"Damn it…there is absolutely nothing good on TV!"

There was some other thing in her mind, her choice of leaving the mansion for good! It seemed right for her, she was no longer a mutant, she had no boyfriend there and she had stop studying. Professor and the others wished she would graduate and all that shit, but Rogue didn't feel like to, maybe later, if she doesn't find anything better to do with her time. So, she announced them that she was searching for a job and soon she would go away. That was the right thing to do, she told herself over and over, but then, why was she hurt, because no one agued with her to stay?

"Stupid TV." Enough with the zapping and the thinking Rogue smoke a cigarette outside and went back to her room to try to sleep.

It was 2pm when, finally, Rogue woke up. She took a long shower, trying to really wake up, dressed and when she arrived in the kitchen to eat something she saw Logan and Ororo looking out the window. Watching Ororo's hand slipping to Logan's butt, made her turn her head and make a face of gross. Rogue made some noise with a chair to make the couple notice her presence.

"Well, at last." Said Ororo with the usual kind smile. Rogue liked Storm, but that morning, or make that afternoon, she hated that smile.

"Kiddo, is this time?! You should do something, anything with your life!" and there it was Logan trying to act like some kind of tutor… or father, that thought brought up her face of gross again.

"First, I'm not a "kiddo"", said Rogue, "And second, ah am doing something with my life, I have a job interview at 3.30pm."

"The food's still warm, Rogue." Said Ororo leaving the kitchen.

"'Kay."

"I have to go, kid. Good luck for the interview."

"Thanks, Logan. And I'm not a kid!", Rogue had to scream the last part, because Logan wasn't there already, and add to nobody, "Jesus!"

**Next chap---powers are back and a certain female too ;)…I'll update tomorrow! And I promise it will be longer.**


	2. Poweres are back!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Marvel, etc….

:Oh, by the way! English is not my native language, so I'm sorry if this is not very well.:

:Live a REVIEW…or two…or3…:

_Chapter two – Powers are back! The return of an old friend._

"Damn it!" said Rogue out loud in the middle of the street. "I can't believe this shit! "Are you a mutant?", "What do you think about mutants?", What kind of questions are these for a stupid job interview?" The young girl was mad with the questions they made her, she didn't understand. And to frustrate her more, rain drops started to fall and she didn't have an umbrella.

"Stupid weather…sun, rain, sun, rain again… make up your mind!" Rogue was having one bad day and it would become worse.

When Rogue arrived at the mansion, she heard Kitty calling her from the living room, "Rogue! Have you heard the news? It's incredible!"

"What's the matter, Kitty?"

"It seems that the cure is a failure! Many mutants are receiving their powers back." Informed her Kitty.

"What? How's that possible?"

"They didn't said much more.", said Bobby, "They will talk about it later, we just have to wait."

"And what does the Professor think about it?" asked Rogue with her eyes wide open with the news.

"Is not here," continued Bobby, " he left with Logan, Ororo and Kurt don't know where, but they were…anxious, a think."

"I heard them talking in Professor's office, it was something about Jean… I think Professor talked with her in his dreams or some astral plan or whatever he called it." Now was Jubelee talking, she was on the sofa with the control mote in her hands.

_Flashback FlashbackFlashbackFlashbackFlashbackFlashbackFlashback_

"What are you saying… that Jean may be alive?", asked Logan anxiously.

"Please, Logan, let's not be hasty." Asked Charles, "I can't tell for sure, but I know someone who really looks like her was asking for my help. It could not be her…"

"It could be the Phoenix!", Ororo finished the sentence for Charles. They were all concerned, if it was Jean, was she really alive, could she contain the Phoenix within her? But, and if it was the Phoenix playing a trick on them?

"What should we, Professor?, asked Kurt, he didn't really met Jean that well, he knew she was a nice woman and he really loved her smile…a kind, warm smile. Anyway, he did met the terrors of Phoenix and he sure didn't want to pass trough that again.

"We go search for her!", it was Logan who answered him.

"Calm down, Logan!"

"He is right Ororo!" said Charles, "We go now; Hank, Peter and Warren can take care of the school."

_End FlashbackEnd FlashbackEnd FlashbackEnd FlashbackEnd Flashback_

"And you tell us that just now?", asked Bobby, "Jean may be alive!"

"I forgot, I'm telling you guys now!"

"Oh, please Bobby! That's just impossible." Rogue told him, "I'm going to change my wet clothes and talk with Dr. McCoy about the cure."

Rogue quickly dressed something and went to see Dr. McCoy, which was not in the laboratory, as incredible as it was. She searched for him in his bedroom, in Professor's office, in the Danger Room and finally found him in the kitchen…alone and preparing something.

"What are you doing?", asked Rogue curious.

"I'm cooking!", said Beast with a happy tone.

"You. Cooking."

"Yup, and it is your dinner young girl, so don't you dare making funny of me, or else…"

Rogue chuckle a little and went on, "Well, that's a first. Anyways, did you heard about the cure and it's failure?", she asked sitting in a chair beside him.

"Oh, yes, yes. Are you worried?"

"Yeah, of course! It's going to happen to all mutants? If it is…"

"Calm down Rogue." Hank asked, "I know as much as you. But if you want my opinion, yes, I think it will affect all mutants." He saw her looking to her feet, hiding her disappointment and added, "Rogue, child, we are what we are, and we should accept that…look at me!"

She smiled a little and byte a green apple, "Yeah, I know." They were in silence for a while and then Rogue asked him quietly, "Will it hurt?"

"What will?", asked Hank not paying attention.

"The power surge…"

That sentence made him look at her with kindness, but he just could answered, "I don't know."

They were in silence and again it was Rogue who broke it, "So, what do you know about the sudden little travel of professor and the others?"

"I can't talk to you about that, young lady. I am sorry."

"I know it's about Jean; and that professor dreamed with her." She said smiling.

Beast eyes widen up, witch brought his fearless animal features out. "I am certain that already all the mansion knows about that. And I don't know anything more. Now, could you please set the table?"

At dinner they were all waiting for news about the cure, but unfortunately they didn't add much, just that the government wouldn't be creating more cures.

"What, that's it?" asked Warren, the same question that everyone was about to make. "What about the reaction of mutants, and the consequences or the reasons for his failure?"

"Yeah, why didn't they talk more about it, they seemed urgent sooner?!" asked Bobby.

"Well, it's better this way, it shouldn't have existed a cure!" someone said, but Rogue didn't pay attention, she was concerned about her now, will her mutation come back, will it hurt, will she had to wear gloves again, and now forever? Damn it, that wasn't fair, she didn't even had sex, nor even a little more intimate contact, except with Bobby, and that wasn't for long too.

Later that night, Rogue went to the laboratory in search of pills to her headache. She found Beast in his computer with a funny and somewhat strange smile in his face.

"What are you doing Dr. McCoy?", she asked.

"Oh, nothing!" Beast said, and turn off his computer, He thanked the heavens he couldn't blush, he was having a privet, no, wait, a very privet conversation with the new girl he met. Her name was Trisch, she was a human, a beautiful human actually, and best of all she didn't mind the fact he was big, blue and fury, she seemed to enjoy it! "Is there anything I can do for you Rogue?"

"Yeah, can you give me some pills? My head is killing me!" He looked at her like he was thinking but quickly gave her some pills and a cup of water. She knew what he was thinking though, she had thought the same think. Maybe it was her mutation coming back.

"Thanks." She was turning her back to leave when Beast called her.

"Rogue, put these latex gloves and help me preparing this table and medications!"

"What? I'm no doctor, you know?! And I don't aspire to be one."

"Professor Charles just contacted me by telepathy. They're coming back fast, with Jean! And she's hurt!" he informed her.

"Excuse me?! That's impossible!" Rogue couldn't believe what she was hearing; Jean was dead for god sake!

"Rogue, I'm big, blue and with blue furry and I'm a doctor; Charles transferred his spirit from body to body, I think there is no impossible in our realities anymore."

"I can't argue with that." Said Rogue, "So what can I do?"

Beast gave her some indications and in no time Wolverine entered carrying Jean in his arms and screaming for help right now; Storm, Charles and Nightcrawler were right behind him explaining all at the same time what had happening. It was horrible, Rogue felt those confusing words and explanations coming to her head like a bomb and she had to let go the medication Beast had told her to prepare to cover her hears. Noticing the "turbulence", Beast shout and asked them to leave.

"Rogue, are you feeling alright?" she shook her head in confirmation and the doctor went on. "Now, you will do as I told. Breathe and calm down, everything will be fine." He assured her.

Fifteen minutes later, Beast said "Ok, she will be fine now."

Rogue raised an eyebrow, "What, just this? I thought she was dying or something ."

"Me too… with an entrance like that! She was fine really; I just stabilized her, that's all. OK, let's give them the good news."

Outside the rest of the team add join them. All with worried faces and some who didn't believe Jean was really there.

"How is she?", asked Storm.

"Stabilized. She will be fine, she is just sleeping." Said Hank.

"Thank God." They heard Kitty.

"I don't get it" said Rogue, "I thought we had buried Jean's body! How…?" With this question, everyone looked back to Charles, searching for an answer.

"I can explain that", he said, "Jean's spirit was asking me for her body, she felt lost and scare without it, obviously, so we took it with us."

"Watching their faces, Logan adds, "The body was closed, of course."

"Yes," continued Ororo " and when Charles found her spirit, he helped her to transfer and transform the body again, like he did to his."

"Unbelievable…" murmured Warren.

"Indeed." Said Charles "Now, it's late, we should go and rest."

"I'll stay with Jean." Said Logan immediately.

Ororo look to her lover, all this time they were together she learnt to love him more and more, she felt she couldn't live without him, but what were his feelings for her, she asked herself. She knew he would always love Jean, but was that love greater than the love he felt for her? Ororo love Jean and would give everything to see her alive, but now she was afraid, afraid in loosing someone else.

"What about if it ins't Jean, Professor?" asked Rogue, breaking Ororo's line of thoughts. "If it is Phoenix again?"

"Phoenix is part of Jean and it will always be, but I know she will be capable to take control over Phoenix and all the power that is evolving in her. I will help her with that."

"Like you helped me?" asked Rogue, coldly.

"We could have succeeded, if…"

"…If I hadn't taken the cure." Rogue finished Professor's line. "Well, you may have a second chance."

"What do you mean with that?", asked Logan.

"Haven't you heard?" asked Warren "The cure is a failure. They're all mutants again."

Next morning, Jean woke up. She was depressed and physical and emotional fragile. Dr. McCoy explained that she remembered everything she did as Phoenix in a few amount of time and that was hard. She could only see one person a time, and it must be those she trusted the most. So, first went professor Charles Xavier to explain her everything what happened and the work they had in front of them; next was the turn of an impatient Logan, what they said to each other in the lab, no one knows; finally was Ororo turn, she tried to say all the god news to her friend and Jean actually gave some laugh. For the day, Jean had to rest, and maybe in the next day she could receive more people. That was Hank's decision.

Rogue wasn't much better, she passed all day closed in her bedroom, in the dark. Her head was killing her, she couldn't get up from the bed, she couldn't open her eyes without feeling a strong pain in her head. When finally Logan entered in her room to give her some pills of Hank, the small amount of light that entered in the room by the door made moan. Logan had to force her to get her head up and swallow the pills, next he hold her in his arms and he felt her hole body trembling.

"Shh…it's going to be all good now." Logan hold her that way for about 15 minutes and in a second he felt a pull, his energy was being pulled as he never felt before, this should be Rogue's strongest pull ever. Logan had to let her go quickly and the girl fell to the floor screaming for pain, holding her head firmly. Seconds later their teammates entered in the room and they saw Logan holding Rogue with a sheet.

"Where's Hank?!" asked Logan.

"I'm right here!" said Beast, who entered jumping over the others. He injected a liquid in Rogue's arm and quickly she fell asleep. Rogue's power was back.

**Next chap – what about the brotherhood of mutants? And a characters ;) (at least two) **


	3. Allies for the Brotherhood of Mutants

**Disclaimer:** X-Men does not belong to me!

_Chapter Three – The Brotherhood of Mutants reformed. New allies._

The cold, metal hall was empty and he loved it. He loved to hear the sound of his footstep in the metal floor; he loved to feel the vibration of the metal around him, without any kind of distractions. Oh, how much he missed it! He stopped in front of a big door, the silence would finish now. When he entered the noise in the room broke and everyone look back t him. He analyse them, he count them; they were only six. He expected more.

That room was also all metal: floor, walls, a few chairs and even the table. His eyes search for two persons in particularly, but he only could find one.

"Pyro!" he called, and a young man quickly approached him.

"Yes?"

"Where is Mystique?" he asked him, coldly.

"I'm sorry, Magneto. She refused to come. These five mutants were the only ones joining the Brotherhood of Mutants."

"Pity. I don't know two of them."

"Those are Remy LeBeau a.k.a Gambit, a thief who charges unanimated objects provoking explosions or something like that. And the girl is X-23, I think you will like her. She has the same power that Wolverine."

"Healing?"

"Healing and adamatium claws." Informed him Pyro.

"Interesting." Magneto looked one more time for the mutants, Toad, who still was a little green man; Saberthoot, big and stupid, but faithful and strong; Gambit, with dark and red eyes, he seemed strong; Juggernaut, another big, stupid and strong mutant, he also was faithful, Magneto saved him and told him he knew things about his life and in time, if he served Magneto, he would tell him; and, finally, X-23, she was young, very young, maybe 19 years old, but there was only hate in her eyes, that was good, thought Magneto. Well, there was work to do.

"Brothers" started Magneto, with is voice of command, superiority and power. He was the most powerful mutant between them, at least if he had metal all around them. "I know we are just a few, but with time, our power will be the greatest. Why? Because everyone, mutants and humans, will understand that mutants are the superior race, and no one can step over us!"

Toad and Saberthoot said something like a "Yeahh!", but everyone else kept quite, so Magneto continued, thinking it would be hard to start all over.

"Not even the so called "cure" could take us out. We have a lot of work to do, and I'll need to talk with everyone in particularly."

**X-Men Mansion**

Rogue woke up alone in the laboratory and the first image she saw was a scared Wolverine, screaming of rage and hate. She closed her eyes again, trying to push the images away. Her nose sensed a familiar scent, Beast.

"Hank…", she said.

"Oh, already awake, child?", he said, admired.

"I'm not a child!", Beast smiled with that and turned on his computer. "How long was I sleeping?"

"Only half an hour. How are you doing? If your head hurts, take the pills beside you." Hank told her.

Rogue took them and watching Hank typing in his computer with a smiled she asked, "Shouldn't you be taking my temperature or something, Doctor?"

"Oh, are you feeling sick?", he asked without stop watching the computer.

"Forget it…", a moment of silence and then Rogue smiled, "So…what's her name?"

"Trish…uh…I mean…er…who?"

Rogue laugh. "For how long do you have a girlfriend Dr. Hank McCoy?!"

"She is not…Trish is a journalist, we're talking about work!"

"The one from the TV? Trish Tilby or something?" Hank nodded "Way to go, Beast! Anyway, where's Jean?"

"Somewhere, she is recovered."

"Ok, I'll leave you and the girl alone."

Rogue was heading for Professor's office when she heard the door. She opened it and she could only stare for the person in front of her.

"Hello. I need to talk to Charles."

"What are you doing here, Mystique?" Rogue asked to the blue woman.

"Are you deaf, girl? I said I need to talk to Charles."

Rogue opened her mouth to protest, but the Professor told her, mentally, to bring Mystique to his office. And so she took her.

Charles was alone and pointed a chair for Mystique. "Rogue, could you leave me and Mss. Raven alone, please."

"Whatever." Said Rogue.

She went to the leaving room and found Logan, Jean and Jubelee. The three were sitting, watching TV and talking about the cure.

"Rogue, you're up!" said Jean.

"And so are you. How are you, Jean?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I heard you took the cure."

"Yes… But it was a failure."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you when you choose to take it."

"Don't be." Said Rogue. "I should have been there to help you, but I was selfish. I just wanted to cure me!" Logan and Jubelee just kept staring the young girl, they have never heard Rogue regretting. "Anyway, you know who just came in to talk to Professor?"

"Who?" asked Jubelee.

"Mystique."

"What?" said Logan, with his claws prepared to confront anyone.

"Calm down, Professor wants to be with her alone."

"What does she wants?" asked Jean more to herself.

Team, please join me in my office as soon as possible. asked Charles with his mind.

"I think it's time to find out." Said Logan.

Already in Charles' office, the team was asking what was Mystique doing there. Everyone was talking at the same time.

"Calm down, please. Raven asked to join the x-men and I want to talk about it with you."

"Who's Raven?" asked Kitty suddenly.

"I am!" said Mystique.

"Oh, ok…sorry."

"Raven, could you wait outside?" asked Charles.

Logan was the first one to talk, "I don't know about this, Charles. I don't trust, I think we're better without her."

"I know it's hard to trust her Logan, but she was honest with me. Raven told me she still doesn't believe my ideals, but she wants to try to be part of us for a wile."

"And then she will betray us!" said Bobby.

"Well, you know I trust your decision, Professor," started Hank, "but it will be hard to live with someone like Mystique."

"I know, Hank. But she can be a powerful ally. She prefers to be with us rather than Magneto, I don't want her to be with him again."

"Everyone needs a second chance." Said Rogue.

"She tried to kill you, Rogue!" said Logan.

"So what? If John wished to be back, wouldn't you guys accept him?"

"He's a kid, it's different." Said Ororo.

"Maybe Raven was only a kid when Magneto asked to join her. She tried to kill me and I can live with that. What about you?"

"Rogue's right. She deserves a second chance. Let's not blame a bad decision, we can all make one." Said Jean.

"So be it, but don't ask me to trust her." Said Logan and some of the others agreed with him.

**Magneto's base**

Magneto was watching them fighting. Saberthoot, Toad and Juggernaut were the same. They had the same tactics, the same strong and weak points. That wasn't good. In the other hand, Pyro had evolved; not his power, but the way he fought, he was good! Gambit and X-23 were strong to. And Magneto special love X-23's motivation: fight the Wolverine! She thinks he is her father.

He had to create a plan, but first he needed more mutants to fight for him and he already knew where to find two. His son and daughter, the twins; it's been a long time since he saw them, but they were strong and they would join him, no matter what.

**Next chap – a new threat! **


	4. A new threat

**Disclaimer:** X-Men does not mine.

:I hope you like this one:leave a review….please!!:

_Chapter Four – A New Threat._

Everyone passing in that street was having a regular day and so they thought that the entire street was the same. Cars driving past, people pushing themselves to their jobs or to the supermarket… But, although it seemed an ordinary day in an ordinary street, there was something different. The old church, usually empty, was today occupied.

They were more than fifty, all quiet to not disturb something that was happening in the front. There was a young girl laying down in an old table and more three men around her murmuring strange words.

"Are you ready to become our Queen?" asked one of the men.

"Yes." The girl said.

"Are you prepared to receive the greatest power?", asked one other.

"Yes." She said again.

"Will you be capable to kill all the non-believers?" asked the last man.

"Yes."

"May the power of the Lightening give you the strength and will to succeed in converting those who still aren't from the Lightning people." The three men said in unison.

"So be it!" said the girl. A white light appeared in the middle of them and when it stopped the girl was a Queen. Her hair was white, her eyes were all grey and her skin was grey as well.

"My people!" the Queen started. "People of the Lightening, we are still just a few, but as soon as we show our power to the impure ones we will be mire and more…we will be the dominant species…we will be the only one! With one Queen we will kill those who don't join us and once this planet is converted, we will search for one more in the galaxy!"

The applause was huge and euphoric and the people now knew that there was something different in that street, in the old, abandoned church.

Later that day, the Lightening People announced who they were and what were their objectives to the planet. At first, people and mutants thought that this whole thing was a joke, but soon they found what the Lightening People was capable of.

**Magneto's Base**

They were receiving the two newcomers, the twins, Pietro and Wanda, when they heard the news about one single village destroyed in 25 minutes by those who called themselves the Lightening People.

"Who are they?" asked Pyro

"Mutants?" asked Pietro.

"No, they all have the same power. It's some kind of evolution." Magneto said.

"Do you think they're stronger than us?" now was Wanda asking.

"I don't know. But the video shows a village destroyed. We'll confront them and if we can't take them out… well, then we'll have to take extreme measures."

**X-Men Mansion**

The X-men were watching the interview with Trish Tibley. The village was destroyed and the message was clear, these people, the Lightening People would kill anyone who tried to stop them.

"This is awful!" murmured Ororo.

"Yes, we have to stop this, x-men, before this situation becomes out of control. I will try to find them with Cerbro, and I want you to keep contact to me trough Jean. If I order you to retreat, you will" said Charles, the last two words focusing Wolverine. The Professor knew how he was, always up to a fight and to never give up. "You will be here with me, Mystique."

"Why?!" the shape shifter asked.

"Because I need you to watch over the kids in the mansion."

"What?"

"Just do what the man tells you to do." Said Wolverine, with an angry face. Some of the x-men started to giggle, including Beast.

**City**

Some moments later, the X-Men were confronting the Lightening People. Wolverine, Storm, Jean, Iceman, Rogue, Shadowcat, Angel, Jubilee, Nightcrawler and Beast, or for other words, the X-men were fighting cautiously; in part, because they didn't know their enemies very well, and also because they were fighting in the city, with innocents running to hide.

The Lightening People was strong. They shoot some kind of lightening bolts from their hands and their skill of fighting was very good. Soon, the X-Men understood that their powers were more than those lightening bolts; each individual person had one more special power, such as super strength, invisible, flight, control over bugs, water control, and others.

**Wolverine**

I saw that blond guy running after Rogue, I waited, but when I saw he was super strong I ran after him. No way Rogue could possible fight him, she was weak, even more now that it was a long time since she step the danger room. Since she lost her ability she left my training sessions. I was almost reaching the guy, when a woman appeared in front of me. She was cute; damn she was hot! She had red hair, you know I have a thing for red hairs, and blue eyes. She was there, in front of me, quiet; waiting for me to attack. So be it! I scream and pop my claws out, jumping to attack her. I wish I could see my face of surprise when her beautiful red hair reach my hand, stopping my hands. Wow, that is some strong hair, what kind of shampoo does she uses? She was still quiet, but her hair pushed me away like I was some small doll.

**Storm**

A small woman was trying to hurt me with her lightening bolts, but that was easy to dodge, at least if I wasn't surprised with kick in my back, a lightening bolt hurts me. I also can hurt the small woman with on pf my own lightening bolts. I'm the goddess of the weather! I look behind me to see who kicked me. I saw no one, but I sure felt something hard in my face. I loose my balance and the woman and the invisible person, both, hit me with lightening bolts. That hurts! But, I'm the goddess of the weather, I'm stronger, I summon a tornado and I hit them both. The invisible man appears. Is old!

**Jean**

A man behind me grabs my hair and pushes it. I scream with pain, but quickly I take control. With my telekinesis I throw him against a truck. I look to him, laying in the ground and I feel my power growing. Charles senses it and tells me to breed, focus and control it, he tells me I can't let my power control _me_. He's right. The man finally stands up; he is young and has some red sunglasses. He reminds me Scott. I could take him out easily, but he multiplies himself and a young brunette joins him to fight me. Her body is strange; she has pointy ears, a tail and her nails, well, they're like claws. Ok, I admit, this will be hard.

**Iceman and Shadowcat**

Iceman sees a young girl after Shadowcat. She's trying to hit Kitty with water! Iceman smiles when he sees the frustration of the girl, she can't hit Kitty, she walks trough walls! Both the girls are facing each other.

"You know," starts the girl who controls water, "Your body his full of water, but you're sweating. You know what that means?" Shadowcat stares at the girl; Iceman can see her face of challenge, but soon it changes to fear.

"It means it eases my work of drying your body's water!" finishes the girl.

Iceman creates an ice cube around the girl and runs to help Shadowcat standing up. She was starting to be dehydrated. The girl of the Lightening People quickly turns the ice into water. She was mad! Iceman screams to Nightcrawler take Kitty away from there and with his teleportation he does so. Now was Ice against Water.

**Rogue**

I ran away and hid behind a big truck. I'm tired; it has been a long time since I ran like this. I think the blond guy stopped chasing me. But in the moment my body relaxes a little and my heart calms down, he appears right in front of me. Damn it!

"The little girl is scared?" he asks me laughing. And then, with one single punch, he sends the truck behind me into space…literally.

"Oh, boy…" is the only thing I can say. I start taking my gloves out; he's too close to me and he approaches his face to mine even more. I'm paralysed with fear, a punch like that in the truck and bye, bye Rogue. I feel my undercover hands trembling; I don't know what to do. The super strong guy roles the biggest of my white highlights in his fingers.

"You're cute…" he says, and I look into his eyes, scared. His fingers pass from my highlight to my face, and then I feel a little energy and he feels a not so little pain.

"Big mistake." I say, grabbing his face with my free hands. He can't breed, because of the pain, but it hurts me too…a lot. I can't take his memories anymore, so I let him go, but his now grabbing my face, screaming for me to stop. His begging for me to stop. I try to take his hands off of me, but he's confuse and don't know what to do. Now we're both screaming. He finally passes out and let me go. The screaming stops. But why am I seeing myself lying in the floor? Am I dead?

**Angel and Beast**

Beast saw Angel flying berserk; he was trying to take off all the bugs in him. It was a guy who was controlling the bugs, ordering them to bite his skin and enter inside of me. Beast could hear the screaming of Angel; having bugs trying to enter his skin had to hurt! Beast is not only an intelligent and polite doctor, his physical look and his code name revealed is strength and animal side. He ran to the bug man and fought till one of them was dead. Lying in the floor lifeless, his bugs hurried to him, crying for the death of their master.

**Jubilee and Nigthcrawler**

The Asian girl was making enough damage in one woman of the Lightening People to attract attention of others. Few of the Lightening People had surrounded Jubilee and were ready to hit her with lightening bolts if it wasn't Nightcrawler, who took her away from there soon enough. Nightcrawler heard Jean screaming to retreat and automatically teleported himself and Jubilee to inside their airship.

"Wolverine!" screamed Jean, while entering in the airship, "Come on, they're too strong!" although she screamed for him, Wolverine was blind in fury, trying to hit the quiet woman.

Beast grabbed Angel, who was unconscious, and the bug man and went to the airship. Storm helped Iceman carrying Shadowcat and, finally, Wolverine went after them. The Lightening People were joining around the Queen, but some were running after the x-men, and three of them were almost reaching Rogue.

"Rogue!" screamed Wolverine, "Move, girl!" He ran to the girl, who was staring for the blond guy in the floor. Wolverine killed one of the Lightening People with his claws and grabbed Rogue's arm, forcing her to follow him.

Already inside of the airship, Rogue threw Wolverine to the other side of the airship. The X-men looked at her, confused. Storm was trying to put the airship in automatic to go help the wounded.

"Let me go!" demanded Rogue.

"Rogue? Are you OK?" asked Jean, concerned.

"Kid, are you nuts?" said Wolverine, approaching her.

"Why are you calling me that?" asked Rogue, confused. "And what happened to me? I just saw myself lying lifeless in the floor! What did that girl did to me?!"

Jean looked to Beast, hoping he could explain her behaviour, but he only could look back.

"Rogue, kid…"

"Don't come closer!"

"What's happening here?" asked Ororo.

"Rogue's nuts…" said Kurt.

"Don't you remember me, kid? It's me, Logan. I found you in the back of my truck and you made me give you a ride."

"Logan…" said Rogue with her eyes shut. Jean made a signal to Logan go on.

"Then we found the X-Men. We found a home."

Rogue grabbed her head with her hands, trying to separate the memories inside of her.

_**Rogue's head**_

_I'm a blond kid. I'm running after a man. He's my dad. I can't reach him, I'm afraid he leaves me behind, and so I started to cry. My mom picks me up. My father runs to me, they I don't need to cry, and so I stop._

_I'm a girl, reading a huge book. It's from my mother. I don't understand what's written, but when my mother asks me if I like it, I say I do. She smiles. She's so beautiful. I want to be like her when I grow up._

_I'm a teenager boy. I'm popular at school, the boys want to be seen with me and the girls well, the girls just want to be with me. I'm a good student too, teachers really like._

_I'm a teenager girl. I don't have many friends. But, there's a guy I like, and it seems that he likes me too. He asked me to help him the school work. Not that I'm a brain or anything, I do OK with school, and not that he does wrong, I guess he just wants to be with me after school._

_I was at school when it all happened. I already knew I was super strong, that I could control. But when I met him, everything changed. He promised me we would be the greatest species in the world, he promised me everything would be as I wanted to be. So I made part of a ritual. It was painful, but I gained more power. I was happy and confident, but I couldn't control these lightening bolts and in school, I destroyed everything, killed people accidentally; it was a mess. Then I was banished from school and from my home. I thought I would gain everything, but I lost everything, my friends, my girlfriend, my family my life!_

_I never wanted this to happen. I promise! I kept saying this to my parents, but they just didn't listen. I was in Cody's room. We were making a pause from the school work. I could feel that tension between us, not a bad tension, the good one; the one that makes you feel butterflies in your stomach. He leaned forward t kiss me, I was enjoying it. It was my first kiss, so although I felt something wrong, I never thought it was me killing him. He ended up in a three week coma. I cried so much, but I thought my family would protect me. I was wrong. They called my aunt Raven, that I never had met, and I heard them telling her to take me or they would abandon me somewhere. I couldn't believe this; they wanted me to go with some woman I never met before? I heard my aunt Raven strongly refused me. So, that means they will just abandon me like I'm some kind of animal? It's cruel for animals, and it's even crueller for a human being. I'm not letting them do this to me, I'll run away._

_I found a family. The Lightening People, I belong with them._

_I found Logan. I like him; he's like me, an out caster._

**Next chap.- well, surprise! ;p**


	5. Exreme Measures

**Disclaimer:** X-men does not belong to me. I don't own any money with this fanfiction.

_Chapter Five – Extreme enemies, Extreme measures!_

When the X-Men finally arrived, Shadowcat and Angel were immediately to the infirmary. Charles Xavier saw Beast carrying one of the Lightening People in his arms, and he told him he was dead, but maybe he could tell them something about these Lightening People.

"Hey, Charles!" called Logan from the airship.

"It's Rogue, I can't reach her." Said Jean.

Charles saw Rogue sitting in the corner, her head between her kneels. She was moving her body front and forward and murmuring something.

"Rogue, child, what's wrong with you?"

"Professor? Help me, please, I don't know who I am; it's too confusing." She begged.

"Let me enter in your mind. I'll do everything I can to help you." Charles saw memories of everyone Rogue have touched; he saw a boy called Cody and his crush for Rogue; he saw a drunk man who tried to touch Rogue, when she was hitch-hiking; he saw Logan and his dreams, he felt Logan's pain; he saw Magneto and his hate; he saw Ororo as a little girl; he saw Bobby; he saw John and part of his childhood; he saw the entire life of a blond guy. It was this last memory that was confusing Rogue. Charles tried to push those memories away, but he only could hide part of them with the others.

The professor opened his eyes and he saw the girl sleeping in the floor. He stared at her for some moments, till Logan broke his thoughts.

"Is she alright?" he asked.

"She…I'm not sure." He started and Logan catch Rogue from the floor. "She will never be completely well, because she has the memories of everyone she touched."

"Does she still have my…"

"…Dreams? Yes, Logan, she does. It's not something frequently, but Rogue will have many personalities inside of her forever; and, no, I can't do anything about that, I'm afraid I'll erase her own memories if I try to just clear the foreign personalities from her mind."

"Is Rogue alright?" asked Mystique from behind them.

"What do you care?" asked Logan with Rogue in his arms.

"Logan, please! Yes, Mystique, she is just sleeping." Charles said.

"Give her to me; I'll take her to her room." Mystique said.

"Dream on, girl!" was Logan's response.

"Well, she's not going to sleep in that tied uniform and I'm not letting you the job of taking off her clothes!" With that, Logan passed the girl reluctantly. "I think I have to do some changes in these uniforms, Charles. They're not…fashion at all!"

"I don't trust her!"

"I know Logan, but she's just trying to be helpful."

"Right!"

Later that night, Warren was already up and well; Kitty was still in the infirmary, with Bobby beside her.

"You know, Bobby, I really will be fine if you go away from my bedside. You've been here all day, I was just dehydrated. Dr. McCoy told me he just wants me here for the night, because we never know what else she could have done to me. But I'm OK, really." Told him Kitty.

"Can't I be worried with my girlfriend?"

"Sure! And I love that, Bobby, but I can't sleep with you eyes staring at me like that!"

"I think you're right. Sorry!" said Bobby with a smile. "Good Night, then." He kissed her softly and went to bed.

Ororo was looking for Logan to tell him she was going to sleep and she was hoping he would go with her, but when she found him sitting next to Jean, their heads close to each other, Ororo just turned away and went to her room alone. Maybe she was being childish with this behaviour, but she just couldn't stand seeing them together, she just couldn't ignore how frightened she felt. Ororo said a prayer to the goddess and slip into her sheets. Two hours past and she was still awake, she couldn't sleep without knowing where Logan was, without feeling his warm body against her. She felt cold and sad.

Logan entered the room at last. She heard him taking his cloths off; she felt him lying next to her; she heard his breath beside him, but she pretended to be asleep, with tears already crawling in her face, wetting her pillow.

Jean was leaning in the door of her bedroom. She felt sadness when she saw Logan entering in Ororo's room, their room now. Jean was feeling empty, like something was missing there. Then, she looked to one photo next o her bed. It was Scott and she.

"Oh, Scott, if you were here… I'm so sorry for what I did to you! I Love you." Jean started crying hard. She had killed the man she loves and now she was alone to pay for what she had done.

Maybe, there is something I can do. Maybe Phoenix has the power to bring Scott to life! and that was the only thought she had all night.

In the next morning, Rogue woke up with a hell of a headache…well, as usually! Those headaches were already part of her life, and so were the pills Hank gives her. With her eyes still shut down, Rogue swallowed two pills and then opened her eyes.

"Shit!" she said when she saw it was already 2pm. That had to stop, waking up at this time of the day. She was surprised no one had called her for lunch. She turned on the radio. "That I would be good", from Alanis Morissette was on the air and she decided to listen the music before she get up; and she remembered what happened yesterday, the fight with the Lightening People, the memories of a blond guy, Joe's his name. She had killed him.

Rogue found Mystique in the kitchen. Incredibly, the blue woman was preparing something to eat.

"Hey." Said Rogue.

"Rogue! Here, I cooked something for you. How're you feeling, today?"

Rogue stared at the food for a moment and then asked, "Why?"

"Well, because you're the only one who hasn't eaten yet."

"It's not that! Why are you being so…nice with me?"

"I'm not being nice, girl. Something I never am is"nice"." Told her Mystique, coldly.

"That's a relief. So, where's everyone else?"

Mystique looked out of the window, "Those three are talking about something there.". Rogue looked and saw Jean, Logan and Ororo talking; they seemed to be arguing. "Well, the others are full recovered, doing whatever they like. I'm surprise you're OK, you were all messed up, yesterday."

"I'm fine."

"So…Bobby and Kitty are dating. I thought he was your boyfriend."

"You're right, he was. We broke up a little after I took the cure."

"Right, the cure. That was a stupid thing to do, huh? I can't believe it!"

"Look, Raven, you know nothing about me, so mind your own business and don't judge me, OK?" with that, Rogue walk out the door. In the hallway, she found a very upset Jean.

"Jean! Is everything al…" She couldn't finish the question, because the young woman ran up the stairs. Next, she saw, Logan and Ororo, "Hey, is everything alright?" The girl asked walking next to them.

"Rogue, darling! How're you feeling?" asked Ororo.

"Fine."

"Good, I'm giving a class in the danger room. I want you there with the others in 15 minutes." Said Logan.

On Charles office, Logan asked him to warn the students about the class in the danger room.

"Ok, it's done, Logan" told him Xavier, "But what's bugging you so much?"

"Everything is, Charles!"

"Calm down, Logan" Ororo said.

"First, we have enemies we can't win, our team is too weak; Rogue almost died; we have Mystique between us; and Jean…."

"What about her?"

"I think you should talk to her, Charles," warn him Ororo. "She's with this dangerous idea in her head. She wants to bring Scott to life, using Phoenix."

**The Brotherhood of Mutants**

Magneto was calm, watching from the top of a building his team fighting those who called themselves the Lightening People. They couldn't win those people, they were few and they didn't work as a team, they didn't trust each other. Magneto saw his team running away and fallowed them.

"Pathetic! You were pathetic!"

"They were much more than us." Excuse them Toad.

"Maybe, but that is not an excuse. You are weak, and you have to learn how to work as a team!"

"Why should we want to defeat them anyway?" asked Toad.

"Because they think they're better than us, and they want to defeat us, you moron!" said Pyro.

An hour had past and Magneto called the brotherhood to him. He was worried about these new enemies, he knew he had to defeat them, other way, he would never be the strongest, he would never prove that the mutant species is the ultimate species and all others (humans) should pay them respect. Magneto believed he was meant to be a chief, a lieder, the mutant, and since he was "cured" he was far from it.

Magneto had thought in only one solution. Not that he was trilled with it, but it was the only one he could think about. And, maybe, he could try to take profit from it.

"I've been thinking and now I know what we should do. There's only one way we can possibly defeat these people who think that are greater than us, witch is joining the X-Men!"

The members of his team looked at each other, confused with this decision. "What? Are you nuts? I will not join those people!" said Saberthoot.

"You will do what I say. All of you! That's the only way we can win; besides, after that, we will be on a good position to win the X-Men too. I mean, Saberthoot, X-23, Wolverine will be right there; Juggernaut, I promise you'll find information between the x-men; and, Pyro, aren't you happy to prove to your old friends you are stronger?" magneto smiled. "My son and daughter are almost arriving, and then we go.

**The Danger Room**

They were all there, even Charles. Wolverine actually gave a very good lecture about the importance of the team work and the importance of his session on the Danger Room.

"Now, I'll divide the team in four teams:

Team A » Beast; Jubilee; Storm.

Team B » Jean; Iceman; Shadowcat.

Team C » Angel, Nightcrawler; Colossus.

Team D » Wolverine; Rogue; Mystique.

There will be twenty minutes for the team A and B fight each other, and then it's twenty minutes for team C and D." explained Wolverine.

Team A and B were ready to fight. Wolverine explained that he wanted to find groups, because that way would be easily to fight others, as a team.

"Charles, where did you found these uniforms?" asked Mystique, "Don't worry, I already began to draw new uniforms."

"That's not necessary, Raven."

"Yes, it is Charles! Tell me Warren, do you like light blue, like the sky?"

"Huh… Blue, like the sky?" asked Angel, confused.

"Yes, I think it will be very good on you, Angel!" said Mystique.

Wolverine and Colossus were watching the teams fighting each other, and so was Rogue. She watched Kitty and Bobby intensely, they were good and Jubilee was improving as well. She should be the weaker member, she always has been. Wolverine wouldn't allow her to use her mutation. Rogue step closer to listen Wolverine and Colossus' conversation.

"The kids are improving." Said Colossus.

"Yes, I know, and that's making difficult to choose on witch team I put Rogue. She's on mine for now, because I can protect her."

"I understand. But in a real battle it will be difficult to protect her. I'll try to go easy on her."

Rogue couldn't avoid the tears on her eyes; she felt she was a burden.

"Is everything ok?" asked Mystique.

"Yes, Raven." Said Rogue, putting her hair up; she would show them she wasn't weak. "It's our time to fight, let's go."

The Danger Room changed into a destroyed train station and Rogue saw Nightcrawler and Colossus charging against Wolverine, while Angel and Mystique were fighting, She was left behind, just watching them; Rogue saw Colossus throwing a big piece of metal, witch belonged to a destroyed train, to Wolverine, but he dodge it. Rogue walk next to the metal piece, thinking in a way to join the fight, but she didn't know what to do, they wouldn't fight her. Rogue approached them.

"Rogue, get out of here!" Wolverine yelled. Hurt, she turned her back to the fight and started to walk away.

The fight was over and Wolverine's team had won. "Storm, you'll change with Nightcrawler and I think the teams are good now." Wolverine said.

"What about me?" Rogue asked behind them. She was walking to the door when she heard Wolverine's words and stopped.

"You're in my team."

"But I don't fight in your team, Logan!"

"You're not ready, kid. In my team can protect you."

"I don't need you're protection." Rogue said angrily, "And I'm not a KID!" with that she gave a punch in the wall and walked out the door. What she didn't see was the big dent she made in the wall. However, everyone else saw it.

"Oh my," said Beast, "I think she really doesn't need your protection, Logan."

Logan ran after Rogue, calling her name. "Rogue!"

"Leave me alone, Logan.."

"Rogue, wait.." Wolverine grabbed her, but when she pushed him, he went flying.

"Oh, boy…" Rogue said, "Are you ok? I'm sorry!"

"Damn! How long do you have that strength?"

"Since today, I guess. It must be from Joe, but I thought it would have disappeared by now."

"Rogue, you pulled too much energy from Joe, "said Charles, "You may have killed him."

"I…"

"Don't blame yourself, Rogue. I'm not sure of it, but you never took so much energy and power from someone, and we don't know how your ability responds to that."

"I didn't mean to…kill him."

"You don't know that" said Bobby.

"Right. I need a bath." 

After dinner, more surprises came. «X-Men! Come to the garden immediately!» ordered Charles telepathically.

"What's the matter, Professor?" asked Angel.

"They're coming."

"Who is?" asked Kitty.

"The Brotherhood of Mutants!"

They were there, in front of the X-Men; the tension was strong, a word from Magneto or Xavier and they would fight each other all night. Charles finally spoke up, "Eric, what can I do for you?"

"I came here not to fight, but to negotiate."

"Since when do you _negotiate_?" asked Wolverine, coldly.

"We have a stronger enemy; we should forget our _differences_ and join forces against this enemy."

"The Lightening People." Said Charles, and Eric nodded.

"Don't do anything stupid, Charles." This time was Mystique speaking.

"You know I have to talk with the X-Men about this, first. You will wait in the living room if you don't mind."

"Not at all."

In Charles' office, the X-Men were discussing this situation. Not one would trust Magneto, however, there were those who trusted in Charles' decision no matter what they thought about it.

"I think we're done with this conversation, than."

"Oh, please Charles. We don't need their help!" Said Ororo.

"We already have Mystique here!" said Kurt now.

"I think you all know we can't win The LP without help. But, with the Brotherhood, we have a nice opportunity."

"Chuck's right." Said Logan, surprisingly. "Anyway, we need to be extra carefully here."

Later that night, with everyone on their rooms, Charles and Eric were talking in Charles' office.

"It's your dream, isn't it?" asked Eric. "Having the X-Men and the Brotherhood fighting together, side by side."

"Well, it's a start. Maybe, in the end, you'll understand that you and I, we belong together."

Eric laugh, "Oh, Charles!" he approached Charles and leaned his head to Charles'. "We do belong together, my dear, but…"

"But we won't be together, because you will not change your ideas for love." Continued Charles.

"You know me too well, Charles. And so you also know, that tonight we will not talk about…business." And Eric deeply kissed him.

**Next chap.: they have to hang out together xD… that must be difficult.**


	6. The Phoenix

**Disclaimer:** X-Men does not belong to me. But, the lightening People I made them )

:PLEASE--------live a REVIEW! And I promise to write more often! Plleaasse!:

:Oh, and finally, some Ryro!:

_Chapter Six: The Phoenix!_

Jean Grey couldn't sleep. She spent all night focusing her power in the Phoenix she knew was still inside of her. The red hair woman wanted to free the Phoenix and, at the same time, to have control over it. However, Jean knew she couldn't have both, not alone at least, she needed Professor's help. At 6am she already was in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereals and waiting for Professor, he usually wakes up at that time of the morning. He shouldn't take long.

The weak sunlight started to enter in his room trough the open window. He looked to the body next to him, Eric. How good it felt to have that man next to him; Charles tried to get up without wake him up, but Eric wouldn't sleep relaxed, he was always afraid, always watching, even in his sleep. Charles told him to take a bath and relax a little, while he was going to talk with Jean, who was waiting for him in the kitchen.

"Good morning, Jean." Said Charles.

"Professor, good morning."

Silence. "Do you want to talk with me, don't you?"

"Yes, it's complicated…"

"Jean…" interrupted her, Charles. "What is this power I'm feeling? Is it…Phoenix?"

"Professor, I called for Phoenix's power last night."

"Jean! That's too dangerous; I don't believe you have the strength to control that power!"

"I know! That's why I need your help. Maybe both of us have the power to control it and…and…"

"And bring Scott to life." Finished Charles. "No, Jean. First of all, we don't know if that is possible, to bring someone to life; and second, I'm not willing to take the risk of freeing the Phoenix, you know how dangerous it is. Are we clear, Jean?"

"Yes."

Charles went back to his room. He waited for Eric to finish his bath and telepathically communicated for everyone to meet in the Danger Room in an hour.

"So, what's about this meeting?" asked Eric.

"Well, I want everyone to be fine with each other mainly."

"Charles, you know that that will be difficult!"

"I know; and Logan will form groups for battle. Before you sai anything against, Eric, Logan's good in what he does."

An hour had past, but the brotherhood wasn't there yet.

"So, Mystique, you joined the good guys." Provoked her, Magneto, but Mystique just walked away and joined Charles' side.

Twenty minutes later, they finally arrived. "Well, is everyone here?" asked Charles. "Good, then I can start."

"Professor." Beast interrupt. "Rogue's not here yet."

"Is it too soon for the girl?" The Brotherhood laugh.

Wolverine walk trough the door and went to Rogue's room. He didn't even bothered to knock the door, he she was still asleep; waking up at 2pm everyday was a vicious now.

"Wake up, girl! You're late and everyone's waiting for you. I want you down there in 5minutes, did you hear me?"

"Shit!" said Rogue, "I fell asleep."

When she arrived to the Danger Room, she heard the X-Men and the Brotherhood almost fighting each other, with Logan, Jean, Ororo and Hank trying to calm the things down.

"Oh, look, she's here!" said John looking at Rogue with angry eyes, but she ignored him. Rogue could also feel someone else looking at her. It was a guy, maybe John's age, with red eyes.

"Now, please, calm down." Xavier started. "I know we have our differences, I know we fought many times, but starting today we'll have to cooperate. There is a greater enemy and only if we fight together, we can win. I know this will be difficult, but lets try to fight together and not with each other. Wolverine will be your teacher, he will form groups and you'll obey his decision." Charles went next to Magneto and watched Wolverine lecturing the team.

Wolverine asked to the Brotherhood fight, because he needed to know what groups he should make. Everyone was surprised when they saw X-23 mutation and when Wolverine approached her, she tried to attack him. It took a while until she calmed down.

"Ok, I'll divide us in five teams of four:

Team A: Toad (Todd); Jubilee; Colossus (Peter); Nightcrawler (Kurt).

Team B: Saberthoot (Creed); Wolverine (Logan); Storm (Ororo); Beast (Hank).

Team C: Quicksilver (Pietro); Scarlet Witch (Wanda); Iceman (Bobby); Shadowcat (Kitty).

Team D: Jean; Angel (Warren); Juggernaut (Caine); Mystique (Raven).

Team E: Rogue; Pyro (John); X-23; Gambit (Remy).

Now, Team A will fight team C. Next is Team D against Team E." explained Logan.

The fight between the team A and C finished quickly. Team C had lost because they didn't cooperate. Shadowcat and Iceman fought together and the twins weren't paying attention. Wolverine told them they should fight together; if Quicksilver and Iceman had fought together against Nightcrawler they could have immobilize him, for example.

Now was team D against team E and the winner would fight against team A, the winner. Team E won. Rogue was really strong and everyone was amazed; she, Pyro and gambit were a very good team, but X-23 was more individual. Then Team A and E fought each other and the winner would fight against team B, Wolverine explained.

Team E won, but lost against Wolverine's team. X-23 wanted to fight more against Wolverine, but she couldn't with so many people around, they would stop her. She watch him close, Wolverine's was talking with the girl from her team, with white streaks. The girl was angry, but Wolverine putted his hand in her shoulder and she smiled. X-23 felt jealous, although she wouldn't ever admit it.

After a bath, X-23 joined the others for the lunch. She could see the hostility between the Brotherhood and X-Men. One team was on one side of the table and the other in the other side. She sits next to gambit, which was right in front of the white strikes' girl. The girl was sitting next to Wolverine. X-23 understood that Wolverine and Storm were a couple, that was Ok for, but she didn't understand his relationship with the girl.

"Logan," called Rogue. "can we talk after the meal?"

"Sure, kid. Are you okay?"

"Yes, don't worry."

What does she wants now, thought X-23. She wanted to fight Wolverine, make him see it was his fault she suffered those experiences; it was his fault she had bad dreams and didn't remember her life before becoming X-23.

"So, Rogue, isn't it?" asked Gambit besides X-23. "You're super strong, uh?"

"Guess I am." Was the only answer Rogue gave him. She wasn't going to explain her mutation now.

"My name's Remy Lebeau. Could you show me the mansion after lunch?"

"I'm sorry, I can't." said the girl coldly. "Why don't you ask Pyro, he used to live here." They looked at Pyro, who had been looking at Rogue.

"Didn't you took the "cure"? Why are you super strong now, traitor?" asked her Pyro.

"That's none of your business, John."

John laugh, "And look, Bobby trade you for the Kitty over there, huh?" Rogue left the table with this and X-23 smiled.

Later, X-23 was searching for Gambit, he was the only guy she like to talk. He was…cute. Well, it wasn't because he was cute, of course! She found him talking with Rogue.

"Remy!" she called.

"X? What now? I'm busy, chère."

"I need to talk with you."

"I'm talking with Rogue now."

"No, you're not!" said Rogue, and left them.

"Oh, dear, I think the girl don't like Remy."

"Of course she doesn't." said X-23, "She's an X-Men!"

"Look X, the girl will like Remy. Every girl does. So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Oh, it's about Wolverine. He's my father!"

In the garden, Rogue was waiting for Wolverine, she needed him. When he finally appeared he came with Ororo.

"Logan!" she called him.

"Rogue, have you seen Jean?"

"No, why?"

"She didn't appeared for lunch and she isn't in her bedroom." Explained Ororo. "We're worried."

"I'm sure she's fine. Maybe she wants to be alone; maybe she went to Scott's grave." Rogue suggested. "Can we talk, Logan?"

"Sure, what's going on, kid?"

"Logan, I…" Rogue started, but tears fell from her eyes.

"Hey, hey! What's up, kid?"

"Joe died!"

"What? Who…Who's Joe?"

"The blond guy I touched! I killed him!"

"No, wait a minute, Rogue. You don't know that. And even if it's true, it's not your fault."

"But I do know. He's inside of me, blaming me. He's so angry; but I didn't want to kill him, I swear!"

"I know, kid. Calm down." Logan put his arms around her and tried to calm her down.

Not far from there, X-23 watches them. "I should be the one you comfort; I'm the one who's your daughter; I'm the one who suffered the most!"

Rogue was coming to her room, but Kitty's yells made her stop and enter Bobby's room. Bobby and John were fighting in the floor and Kitty was trying to stop them.

"Hey, stop it! Both of you, stop!" With her strength, Rogue easily pushed John from Bobby. "You guys are 10 years old, or what?" Rogue pushed John to her room and he almost fell.

"Rogue! Take it easy!" John told her.

"What do you you're doing, John? When will you guys stop this fight?"

"He started!" said Pyro like a spoiled child.

"You were in his room, so I bet you went there to start something!"

"I just went to say he shouldn't have left you!" He didn't mean to say that, but he was angry and the words just came out.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I… nothing. I…"

"Since when do you care about me?" asked Rogue quietly.

"It's not that… I just think he was stupid by leaving you when your powers came back."

"It wasn't like that John. We broke up a little after I take the cure. He and Kitty are meant for each other, I guess."

"So, and this new power of yours?"

"I… When I touched him… well, I stole it from one of the Lightening People." Said Rogue, sitting in her bed.

"Damn! I bet you hurt him big time"

"I…killed him."

John wished he didn't have said that. He sited next to her, "I'm sorry; I didn't know. Are you ok?"

"I am. I… I'll never forget this. I don't only have his memories, but also his power to remind me."

They were silent for some moments, sitting in Rogue's bed, each one enjoying the company of the other; both felt lonely for a long time.

"Why did you leave us, John?" asked Rogue suddenly. "I missed you." John looked at her when he heard her last words. He wanted to tell her how much he missed her, but his pride didn't let him. He murmured something about going to bed and walked away.

Later that night, Rogue woke up with a knock in her door. X-23 was in front of her, she was wearing her usually uniform and she was looking to the floor while she entered in Rogue's room.

"Can I help you?"

"Your name Rogue, right?" asked her X-23, still looking to the floor.

"Yeah…"

"You're the one who took the "cure", right?"

"Huh…yeah."

Finally, X-23 looked at Rogue, "You're a traitor then! So, what does Wolverine sees in you, you're weak and stupid!"

"Hey, girl, watch it!"

"I hate you and your perfect life; everyone loves you!" with that, X-23 jumped onto Rogue with her claws out. The two fought seriously and soon there was some young mutants watching them.

"Stop it now!" screamed Ororo, while Logan grabbed X-23 and Hank, Rogue. "What happened?"

"That girl's nuts!" said Rogue.

"I hate you!" screamed X-23 spitting blood, thanks to a hard punch from Rogue. Logan was able to take X-23 away and Rogue went to bed again, but she couldn't sleep; she could hear X-23 voice, telling she hated her and that Rogue's life was perfect. She didn't know a thing about Rogue, so how dare she saying those things?! Rogue wished her life was perfect, but it was far from it.

"What happened? You're supposed to work with us not against!" said Logan.

"It's your fault, Wolverine! If you haven't escape, if you haven't run away, I wouldn't have these claws inside of me, I wouldn't have been a guinea pig; I would remember who I am." The girl jumped to attack Wolverine now, but he was able to mobilize the girl.

"Hey, hey, calm down! I don't even know you. I'm sorry if you passed for a bad time, but so did I; and if I knew about you I wouldn't have left you in that place. This is all knew for me; I never heard of you. And what has Rogue to do with this?"

"Because… I don't remember my life, or who I am. I just know what they told me: that you are my father!" this confession of X-23 was a chock to Wolverine.

"That can't be! No way!" started Logan, but when he saw the lost expression of the young girl, who should as old as Rogue he calmed down. "Look, kid, maybe I am, but I don't know. I can't remember my past; but maybe Charles can help us tomorrow morning, you'll just have to trust him. Now let's go to bed."

"Will you like me how you like Rogue?" asked X-23 to Logan's back.

"Kid, I already like you. However, don't judge Rogue, she's a nice kid."

The rest of the night could have been a regular one, but in one room a power was surging stronger and stronger. Jean Grey was willing to free the Phoenix if that meant bringing back her lover, Scott Summers. Her room started to glow with a bright light, coming from Jean. She could feel Phoenix power, so intense, so strong.

Next morning they all met in kitchen for breakfast. Logan told Charles about last night incident with X-23 and asked him if he could try to read the girl's mind. Xavier agreed and planned it for that night.

Wanda and Pietro were talking animatedly with Kitty, Rogue, Bobby and Jubilee. They were happy to know they could tag along just well.

Hank went to have breakfast with Trish. He heard some comments about how handsome he was before leaving, but that only made him happier.

Magneto was talking with Mystique, and it wasn't a nice conversation, no, they were arguing a lot. Mystique knew he was up to something against the X-men.

X-23, Remy and John were sitting quietly, each of them with their own problems. "Remy, would you like to go training a little later?" asked the girl.

"Well, sure, chère. I'll do anything to be in your company. John, you can't take your eyes from Rogue! I understand that, I really do, but let me tell you she's a little cold; at least with me. And with that super strength, well her boyfriend must hide if she's mad with him." Remy laughed.

"Tell me about it," said X-23. "last night she almost broke my teeth, and I think she was being careful."

"Oh, yeah, last night you attacked John's princess!"

The girl laughed, "Yeah, but if you could take with the pain, she's not a strong enemy."

"First," said John, finally, "she's not my princess! And second, it's not her strength you should fear, trust me."

In one second, they could all feel the mansion trembling. They had to lean against something not to fall.

"Oh, my God! So much power!" exclaimed Wanda, her power worked like waves of great power, and she could feel other powers around her.

"Yes, and I know this power! It's the Phoenix!" after Xavier said that, the walls started to crack. "To Jean's room, quickly!"

The walls from Jean's room were destroyed and the mutants couldn't go further and reach the red hair woman, because a great power was coming out from her body. She was standing on her bed in the middle of the room, eyes closed and opened arms.

"What can we do, Charles? If this goes on, she will destroy us all, like she did to you!" remembered magneto.

"We know that, Magneto!" Ororo exclaimed.

"I can only see one solution, but that means we had to…" started the Professor.

"…kill her. I can't do that again, Charles! Don't ask me to kill her again!" yelled Wolverine.

"I can't reach her mind! Not like this, she's too strong for me." Charles said, and a greater wave of power appeared, forcing them to step away from Jean.

"I don't see any other solution, Wolverine!" yelled Mystique. "It's she or us!"

Logan's claws popped out, but Rogue called him before he moved, "Logan!" he looked at her, "You're the only one who can get near Jean, right?"

"I'm the only one who can heal fast enough to get there!"

"No, you're not. I can do it too!" interrupted X-23.

"But you would have to kill Jean, also. I have an idea." Said Rogue.

Logan took only a second to understand her idea and spoke against it. "Oh, no, you're not. It's too dangerous kid, you're not going there!"

"How could she?" asked Pietro.

"It's the only way!" insisted Rogue.

"You can die!" said Charles knowing what Rogue wanted to do.

"And she may live." Was the only answer Rogue gave, and then she took her gloves off and grabbed Logan's face. She didn't want to hurt him much, but she needed to be sure she would take enough of his healing factor to get near Jean. They saw Wolverine falling on his knees weak, and Rogue entered in the barrier of power. Slowly and painfully she arrived next to Jean, but the woman opened suddenly and a wave of power pushed back Rogue and the others.

"Rogue!" screamed John.

"I can do this!" exclaimed the girl, and again walked to Jean, whose eyes seemed to be on fire. Rogue's skin was opening wounds and healing at the same time, and that was really painful; when finally she got there, Rogue grabbed Jean's face with her naked hands. First they could hear Rogue's scream and next it joined her Jean's; both screaming in pain. After a while they passed out. Logan hurried and grabbed Jean, confirming if she was still alive.

"How strong." Said Magneto, quietly.

"That's not a surprise, last time the Phoenix was free, it was hell n earth." Said Logan.

"I wasn't referring to Jean." Snapped Eric, coldly, and his eyes went to John, who was catching Rogue from the floor.

Logan was about to say something, but Charles asked them to take the both women to the infirmary, "I already called Dr. McCoy, he's on his way."

"What the hell happened?" exclaimed Remy later that day in Bobby's room.

"I heard Jean wanted to bring Scott to life again, using the power of Phoenix." Explained Jubilee. "What I heard Logan and Ororo speaking about it yesterday!" she said, when she saw the looks of her friends.

"But what about Rogue? How could she put Jean unconscious?" asked Pietro.

"Yeah, I thought her power was the super strength." Started X-23 with contempt, "But I guess she jus likes to show off. What's her power then?"

"She can absorb other people's energy, as also memories and, in case of mutants, she absorbs their powers for an amount of time. She gain her super strength days ago, when she fought one of the Lightening People, I think she killed him, and his power is now with her." Explained Bobby.

"Wow, cool power!" said Wanda.

"Yeah, why the hell did she wanted to take the cure? She's really a traitor." said X-23.

"It's not like that, X!" exclaimed Jubilee, "Her power it kinda sucks…"

"Yeah." A voice behind them said; when they look they saw John leaning on the door. "Imagine if you had the worst memories of Magneto in your head; or if you wake up at night because of somebody else's nightmares; or worst, imagine a power that wouldn't let you touch other people without hurting them… a lot."

"She can't control it?" asked Remy.

"Nop."

"Oh, please, she's just acting like a victim. And she's not that strong." Said X-23.

"Right." John said, "By, the way, X, the Professor has to enter on Jean's mind, because of that Phoenix's problem, and maybe Rogue's too; he's guessing that that will fatigue him. He asked me to tell you would read your mind tomorrow, if there's no problem."

"Figures." Said the girl, and walked out the door.

At the infirmary, Charles was entering on Jean's mind at that moment. He only took five minutes and he seemed satisfied.

"So?" asked Hank.

"Well, the Phoenix was very weak, it's interesting, but it seemed that just part of her was there. I guess we will not have to worry about it anymore."

"Hmmm, maybe Rogue has the other power. Well, it's what her power does, right?"

"Good point, Hank. Do you think she handles my intrusion?"

"Certainly, they both will wake up soon, and only Jean will have to take some time to recover from Rogue's attack. Rogue will wake up fully recovered, I think."

"Good." And then Charles entered in Rogue's mind; it also took him only five minutes. "You were right, doctor. Rogue also has a part of the Phoenix on her. With the Phoenix separate I think we don't need to worry."

"Yes, but it will be difficult for them."

"I know what you mean, Hank. Jean will be embarrassed by trying to use the Phoenix and her heart will be broken, because Scott's not here."

"And Rogue," continued Hank, "she will have another "persona" to deal with."

"Yes, poor girl."

"I'm used to that, Professor."

"Rogue!" exclaimed hank, examining the girl. "How are you feeling, child?"

"I'm not a child Hank?"

"I think she's just fine, Hank." Said Charles, smiling.

"Professor, how's Jean?"

"She'll wake up soon."

"I know that what she did was wrong, but don't be so rough on her, she's so sad." Asked Rogue.

"I promise I won't be, and I know she will punish herself for what she did. Now, do you think you're able to go on a mission with the others later?"

"Yes, I'm good. And if we don't take too long, maybe I can use this extra power I got from Jean!"

"Perfect! I'm going to tell others, we'll meet at 5pm."

"Sooo… Hank. How did your date went?"

Hank laughed. "Pretty good, but I had to interrupt it because of some problems in here!"

"I'm sorry about that! When do I get to meet her?"

Jean woke up a little later, but she was tired, frustrated and ashamed for her actions. She went to her room, and started to cry. Someone knocked the door, but Jean didn't respond. Ororo entered in the room.

"Jean?" the goddess of the weather called her.

"Ororo, please, I know I made a mistake, but, please, just leave me alone!"

"I can't do that, Jean. I'm worried about you."

"Why? You're afraid I will steal Logan from you; I can read your mind. But, guess what, Logan loves you, he chooses you!"

"Jean! You shouldn't read other people's mind!" said Ororo annoyed. "But, you're right. I was afraid at first, but I was happy too. You're my best friend, and I forgive you, and I don't blame what you did as Phoenix."

"But, it is my fault, Ororo. It's my fault all this people is dead; it's my fault Scott's dead!"

"It is not! Jean, people die, you're not the only one who has to face the death of someone you love. But people are able to go on with life, and so are you. I have a mission now, but I want you to stay here and rest. I want you to think about your actions."

"I wish I was still dead!" Jean said.

"Stop it! You're being a child! You were dead, but you came back, that means something, by the goddess, it means you still have things to do in this life. Think aout it, my friend."

At 5pm they all met to hear what they should do. They could a virtual map on a big table; the cities attacked by the LP were mark with a red X.

"Your mission is to find if there are survivors." Explained Charles.

"We should go fight these people!" said Saberthoot.

"Calm down, you are not ready for that, yet. And according to the journalist Trish, they are separated by groups; I'll be here trying to find where they're going to attack next."

**Next chap: more Ryro! ) Hope you like it!**


	7. Good News

**Disclaimer: **Only the LP is my creation!

:leave a review…if you wanna say it's a bad story, say it, I don't mind!!:

:in this chapter, Ryro; Mystique new uniforms; Logan/Ororo; X-23 and Rogue have a nice chat; x-23/Gambit:

_Chapter seven: __Surprises!_

Wolverine made four teams for the mission. One team (A) was formed by Wolverine, Jean, Mystique, Storm, and Juggernaut; the second one was formed by (B) Beast, Rogue, Pyro, X-23 and Gambit; the third (C) by Jubilee, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Iceman and Shadowcat; and the last one, (D) by Toad, Saberthoot, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Angel.

**Team D**

They arrived to train station that was completely destroyed. They could see one train inside the ticket office, another crashed into the bathrooms and a last one like it was a broken toy. People were dead under the trains. Colossus and Nightcrawler were searching for thw wounded, while Saberthoot said humans deserve that.

"I don't really care if they deserve it or not", started Toad, "but I doubt we'll find anyone alive. The LP made sure they were all dead and deformed!"

In the end, the team only found three wounded, and one died on the airship.

**Team C**

The young X-Men were searching for survivors in Café's, fast food' restaurants, under cars…

They were choked with the brutality the LP killed those citizens. Even children were smashed or burned. Shadowcat entered in a Café and the vision she had made her start to cry. The silver haired boy, with an earring followed her and saw her cleaning the tears from her eyes.

"Hey, Kitty! Are you alright?" asked Quicksilver.

"Yes, I'm fine. It just…look!"

Pietro followed Kitty's finger and saw a dead man protecting a dead woman. They died holding each other's hand, like a couple whispering their last words of love. Pietro hold Kitty in his arms and told her to go outside and help Iceman.

"Don't you worry; I search for survivors in the Café. Bobby was looking for you, anyway."

Quicksilver looked one more time to the dead couple and he couldn't help to see his mother protecting him and his sister when humans were beating her to death, calling her "mutant lover". His missing father suddenly appeared and saved him and Wanda. But, he gave them to a foster family and went missing again. He would never forgive his father. If he was there, his mother would still be alive and his sister…Wanda…she would never been abused.

They didn't found anyone who still breaded.

**Team B**

Rogue's team went to a Shopping Centre. It was a completely chaos inside, so they went in separated ways. Rogue was trying to lift a door to enter in a shop when a blue beast appeared from the inside.

"There's no one here, Rogue. Let's search elsewhere."

"This is horrible. How can kill like…gosh!"

"If you want you can go wait in the airship."

"I'm ok, Beast." She said. They searched in silent, confirming once in a while if someone was breathing.

"How are you feeling, Rogue? A lot happened to you in such few time, your mutation came back, you won some other power and you have some phoenix power inside too."

"I'm with a fucking headache, otherwise, I'm fine!"

"Watch the language, young lady!" Rogue laughed, she enjoyed making Beast angry. "If there is something, come and talk to me, yes?"

"Don't worry, Hank. I'll survive. I'm going upstairs."

"And I'll search in the park."

"Hey, chère! Wanna go eat some ice cream with Gambit after this?" Gambit appeared from behind startling Rogue.

"After walking in the middle of dead people, you mean? No, thank you."

"C'mon, don't be so mean!" Gambit grabbed her arm and made her look to him. "Why don't you just confess you like Remy, huh?"

"Look, if I were you, I would definitely let go! Or else…"

"Fine, fine! Gambit start walking away and called for X-23 when he saw her .

"Jerk."

"Yes, he is, but you'll get use to him."

"Pyro! How long have you been there?"

"I just arrived; I took a woman t the airship. Have you found anyone?!

"No…"

"This is horrible, so many victims."

"I didn't know you cared. I mean, you're in Magneto's side."

"Yes, because he'll take mutants to safety; the professor will never achieve his dreams."

"Have a little faith."

Pyro laughed, "This coming from a girl who took the cure."

"You're right; I shouldn't talk about your decisions."

Both started to take some stones out of the way, their hands close, almost touching. Pyro came closer to the girl just to feel her movements beside him. It was a feeling he enjoyed. He always liked it, but with Bobby in the way, he never told her. And now, she was there, but he wasn't brave enough to talk about his feelings.

Finally they went to the Mansion, after taking the few survivors at the Hospital.

**Team A**

Storm ran to a little boy, who was crying and holding her dead mother's hand. She gave him to Jean, and they all went to the airship. Wolverine stayed behind with his girlfriend.

"What's up?"

"Nothing, let's go." Storm start walking, but Wolverine grabbed her arm.

"Ororo…talk to me."

"Logan, I…" she couldn't continue the sentence and break into tears. Logan held her body against his and whispered words of love. "I have something to tell you, Logan, but let's wait; this is not the right place."

Wolverine watched her figure walking to the airship, concerned, and then followed her.

At the mansion, they all were feeling depressed, excepting Toad and Saberthoot. At dinner, only the grown ups were talking. Jean was feeling better, but she ate in silent too. Logan and Ororo were more tender and caring to each other then usual and no one new why.

In the bedroom, Ororo dressed a white, some-what transparent night-gown. She was lying in the bed, and a fog she created covered the floor to the bed. When Logan entered the room stared for a few moments.

"So…are you coming?" asked the white haired woman.

"Do you have to ask?!" Logan smiled. "Why all this, darlin'?"

"Don't you think what I told you is reason enough?"

When he answered, Logan was already half-naked and in top of her. "Oh yeah." And he kissed her passionately. "When are we going to tell them?"

"What about tomorrow, by lunch?"

"Perfect! But, now, you're all mine!"

Next morning, Rogue woke up before the others with a head-ache and went to the kitchen. Soon she heard some laughing and a girl' screams.

"You're nuts, Remy!"

"Yeah, Remy's nuts for you alright! Why don't we try in the kitchen table?"

"Remy?!!"

When they entered in the kitchen and saw Rogue, they fell silent and went apart. Rogue saw X-23 blushing while she asked "What?!"

"Nothing. I guess you two spent a wonderful night, huh?!"

X-23 blushed even more, but Remy smiled and confirmed. "X is fire!"

"Remy, shut up!"

"I'm going to wake up Johnny. Don't you girls talk about me!"

The two girls were silent for a while and Rogue broke the silent, "So, have the professor read your mind already?"

"Not yet, he will today, before lunch."

"Are you afraid?"

"Of course not!" said X-23 angry.

"Logan likes you even if you're not his daughter."

"I don't care!!"

Silence.

"I'm afraid. I don't know anything about my life."

"Professor may not be able to find out. You know, he didn't find about Logan."

"I know. Thanks."

"Anytime. And you and Remy? Re you guys dating?"

"Well, I guess. I hope so."

"I'm glad, really."

"Yeah, well, now it's you and Pyro!"

"What…I..huh." X-23 actually laughed with Rogue's embarrassment "You know he likes you, don't you? He can't take his off of you"

Now was Rogue's turn to blush, "I…I don't know…".

Rogue was right, Charles couldn't find anything about X-23'past, and the girl was disappointed. However, it was a surprise for everyone when Remy started to pet her like she was the most important thing in the world! Logan even had to lecture Remy about keeping his hands off X-23 while they eat. Rogue noticed that that made the girl smile, and so did Magneto. But that wasn't good for his plan, X-23 should keep her hate.

"Well, Logan and I, we have something to say too." Ororo started.

"What is it?"

Ororo smiled and Logan grabbed her hand, "I'm pregnant!"

"Wonderful!"

"Congratulations!"

"For how long?"

"So cute!!"

Everyone was talking at the same time, but this time Charles didn't ask for silence, because it was finally a good new.

A little before the Danger Room session, Mystique asked the presence of the X-Men in the living room. She had the new uniforms ready and wanted them to be used right that day!

"So, I just made uniforms for the current members of the X-Men, but if the others decide to join us, I'll be glad to make more."

"Don't dream, Mystique." Said Magneto. "I'm going to the bedroom." Saberthoot and Toad were the only ones who followed their boss.

"Well, now that he's gone! Hmm, first we have Kitty's!!"

Kitty's uniform was a yellow and black leather. It was yellow in the middle of her chest, in the belt and with yellow gloves. The rest was all black.

Angel's uniform was light blue and black on the shoulder and belt.

Iceman's had only some red pants, because, explained Mystique he now could transform his whole body in ice.

Colossus had red pants and t-shirt, with a yellow strike in the middle of the shirt.

Jubille's had orange pants and a black t-shirt with an X in the middle.

Jean's was red, with a yellow phoenix in the middle.

Nightcrawler's was dark blue, with red strikes in the arms.

Beast had only blue shorts.

Rogue's uniform was dark green and yellow in the middle of her torso. Her gloves were dark green too.

Storm was all black, with a yellow belt and a yellow strike in the chest. Her arms were naked. And she had a cape.

Finally, Wolverine's was simple black, with naked arms and black gloves.

That's it for now. I'm sorry it's late, but it had to be. I was with a lack of imagination.

**Next chap.:** hmm, Mystique will reveal something!!


	8. Genosha's War

**Disclaimer: **as always, I do not own X-Men!

«I'm soooo sorry for my spelling mistakes, but English is not my native language»

_**Chapter 7**__** – **__Genosha's War_

Charles woke up worried, he could sense them coming, four of them, no, they were five. They were almost there. It seemed they didn't intend to fight; however, they had to be careful. The Professor decided to wake up Jean first, just to make sure, when he contact her telepathically, she was already waiting for him in his office. 

"You can sense them too?" asked the Professor.

Jean nodded with a worried expression. "And they're almost here, Charles, though they're not enough to fight us."

"I believe this people don't want to fight, at least not now. I'll wake up the others, and we meet in 5 min. downstairs."

Jean walked out of the room hasty. Passing by the mansion's library she saw Mystique choosing some books, the red hair woman entered the room and called "Mystique!"

"I know, Charles just contact me, I'm in the entry hall in 5min.."

"Ok." Jean stared at the books the other woman was taking for brief moments and Mystique raised an eyebrow:

"What? Can't I read?"

"Oh, of course! I...huh…I see you downstairs." Embarrassed, she walked out of the room.

In her way to her room, to save the books, the shape shifter passed by some of the youngest and, although she tried to avoid them, John held her, "Hey, we have to go to the hall, Professor said…"

"I know what Charles said! I'll be there in 2 minutes." She interrupted him.

"What do you got there?" Pietro asked before she could move.

"Some books, why?"

"You like to reed?" Kitty asked with a surprised tone, witch bothered the blue woman.

"Is that a problem?"

"I didn't even know you knew how to read." Murmured Rogue with a malicious smile.

"Ah, ah, ah! Very funny, young woman! Now, don't you have anywhere to be?"

The group went to the hall laughing a little, and Magneto noticed how the Brotherhood and the X-Men were getting along. That wouldn't be a problem, magneto tried to convince himself, the brotherhood will fight them when he orders to.

However, Magneto couldn't stop notice how X-23 smiled shyly to the Wolverine; how Pietro and Wanda were getting along with Bobby, Kitty and Jubilee; how John looked at Rogue. He watched Charles arriving to the hall and thought about joining forces with his old friend, be with him in the future…The man sighed and pushed the thought away, that would not happen, he had different ideals and he would fight for them.

It didn't take long. "They are here." Warned the Professor.

The X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants went outside. The beautiful morning was contrastive with the tension between them; the day was warm and quiet, the only noise came from the opening gates and the steps of the five Lightening People that stopped right in front of them.

In the front was a little girl, with white hair and her eyes and skin were grey. She couldn't be older than 12, to everyone's surprise. Beside her was a young man, in his early 20s, with black hair, green eyes and he was really pale. The three behind them, they already knew, a red hair woman, who fought against Logan before, with her wild hair moving everywhere like snakes; a little woman who looked like a fox or some animal of that type, with her pointy ears, brown tale and claws instead of finger nails; and, finally, a black skinned man, in his 40s, and pierced ears.

The little girl smiled, she appeared to be so sweet and pure, thought Ororo, cuddling her belly and her baby.

"Hello. Are you the X-Men?" asked the girl.

"We are." Charles could feel a great power and warned the others telepathically. "I'm Professor Charles Xavier and this," he pointed to Eric, "is Magneto, the leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants, which are here with us."

A pause; where they watched each other cautiously. 

"What can I do for you?" asked finally Charles.

"Well, _Professor_," she smiled even more, as she enjoyed saying that word. "I'll go straight to the point. I'm here to ask if you and your X-Men…" she paused to think "…and the brotherhood of mutants, why not, wish to join my people, the Lightening People."

The X-Men murmured between them, that was an odd request.

"I can't decide that without knowing anything about you, can I child?" The Professor maintained a calm appearance. "The only thing I know doesn't appeal to me or the X-Men: _you destroy everything around you_. I don't even know what's your name, child."

"You'r right!" the grey girl clapped her hand in her head with a disappointed air "I'm sorry, I forgot my manners, I'm Sarah Bright, Queen of the Lightening People."

"Aren't you a little too young to be a queen?" asked Mystique.

The girl stared at her for a while, but then she gave her attention back to Xavier. "So, you are absolutely right when you affirm you don't know anything about me and my people."

"Expect that we are really strong." Interrupted the red hair woman, without taking her eyes from Logan, who kept staring too.

The little Queen looked to the woman behind her, annoyed, but said nothing and continued, "So, I purpose you welcome my friends here to enjoy two weeks in your company."

The X-Men, linked to the Professor telepathically, pointed the pros and contrast in Charles' mind. The members of the Lightening People looked chocked to their queen, except for the pale, dark-haired, young man beside her, who was analysing everyone. 

Sarah raised her hand and said "They will respect all of you, and you will respect them. They will have the opportunity to explain all about us, our origin, our power, our beliefs… And in two week I will come back to know your choice." With this speech she wasn't a little girl anymore, she was a true Queen, serious and firm. Charles felt he couldn't say "no" to such argument.

"I accept your suggestion." Charles Xavier announced, ignoring the protests of the X-Men. "In one condition; your people have to assist my lectures and participate in the X-Men missions."

Sarah looked to the man at her side, who smiled, his green eyes shinning, "Perfect." Said the girl when she saw him smiling.

When Queen Sarah flew away, the tension was constant and dangerous. The Professor settled a time to the Lightning People members present themselves to the X-Men, but in the meanwhile Charles asked Bobby, Ororo, Jean and Rogue to take the guests to the proper rooms and to let them know where are the things they may need.

Rogue took the young man, with pale skin, dark hair and green eyes upstairs. They didn't speak until she opened a door, "Ok, I think you can stay here. It was my room once." Rogue looked to the man that kept staring at her in a weird, uncomfortable way. She stepped away, "So…hmmm…the bathroom is that way, down the hall, last door…hmm…and I think you have everything here."

The young man looked inside the room for the first time and back at her. Taking a deep breath, Rogue said "If you're hungry, the kitchen is on the left of the entry hall…" he kept staring and so she left, saying she would be in the kitchen if he needed her.

Rogue was all alone in the kitchen, trying to make a cake. She enjoyed to cook cakes or deserts when she was feeling stressed or nervous. 

And she was nervous, oh she was. Everyone was with this reckless decision of Charles. Bobby and Kitty were closed in one room; the brotherhood was fighting in the danger room; Jean, Logan, Ororo and Magneto were discussing with Charles; Jubilee and some of the youngest students were spying on the Lightening People; and she was baking! Not that she was a great cook, her cakes would always come out a disaster, but she liked to cook when she was stress anyway.

The young woman didn't hear him walking behind her. Lost in her own thoughts, she felt a strong chill all over her body when his wet black hair touched her face.

"You know, you should take off those gloves and mix the ingredients with your bare hands. Believe me, it makes all the difference." His pale skin was so close to her, she could actually feel his warm breath. Rogue stepped away from him, quickly and asked:

"What are you doing here!" she didn't mean to ask it with a hysterical voice, but she was still to nervous, he almost touched her.

The young man looked at her with an incredulous stare "I thought you said I could come here to bite something."

"Oh..sure…yeah…" Rogue stood there, confused, and he extended his hand to the ingredients on the table. "Can I?" 

"Oh sure…" she handed him the wood spoon but he refused it. She watched him mixing the ingredients with naked hands; he was quick, like he had practice in cooking.

After a while, she sat in silence, watching his serenity. 

"I like to bake when I'm worried." He broke the silence, startling her a little.

"Me too…"she said softly. And then she added "Although my cooking is horrible."

He continued in silence, focus on what he was doing, and Rogue watched him joining ingredients she never thought of in the cake. When he finally putted it in the oven, he looked at her with is serious, calm face and said "Ok, 45 min. and it's ready." Silence "Now…shouldn't we be in the garden with the others?"

Rogue looked at the time and jumped from the chair "Shit!" she cursed without bothering to excuse herself "We're 20 minutes late! Why didn't Professor warned me?"

The man with green eyes, that she still didn't know the name, helped her taking off the apron she was wearing and said, "Actually he warned us, telepathically , but you said nothing so I…"

"C'mon!" She ran out the kitchen, not letting him finish what he was saying.

In the garden, they were divided in groups and the tension was notable. The Lightening People was little further away from the others, murmuring with each others; Charles was discussing with Beast, Magneto and Ororo the best way to deal with the situation under a tree; the others were chatting and glancing to the "guests" once in a while.

All the chatting ceased when Rogue and the man appeared in quick steps. They all went chocked when noticing they both had flour and butter in the face and clothes/gloves.

Rogue stopped next to Logan and Angel, under a tree, and the first one groaned something about time and punctuality. She ignored him and looked back at the young man with the pale skin. Mystique had just stopped in front of him, hindering him to reach his friends. She couldn't hear what was the metamorphose woman saying.

When mystique saw Rogue showing up late with one of those LP, she couldn't avoid being worried and…mad at the same time. She approached the man with her dangerous look and said with a menace voice "You better stay away from Rogue. For your own good."

The young man said nothing and went next to his people.

"What the hell were you doing?" the red hair woman, whose hair was flying around, reaching the tree where Rogue was standing, asked pointing out to his dirty hands.

He quickly watched Rogue and then back to the woman in front of him "Nothing."

"So you know dirty secrets already, Dave?" the same woman asked.

"A few." Dave kept the same calm expression, while the woman was anxious.

"A few! What are you waiting for to read this stupid mutants?"

"Are you sure that's what Sarah wants? If we want to gain their trust we shouldn't invade their mind without asking permission. Be patient, Anna."

"Patient? If I were you…"

"You aren't me!" Dave said that with a more serious and cold tone, which made Anna quiet for a while.

"He's calling for us." The black man warned them and the four approached the mutants.

"I promised your Queen I would receive you for two weeks and treat you like one of us, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm giving you now the chance to present yourselves and then I'll divide you in groups to a mission.

The woman with the killer hair stepped forward, "I'm Anna Sullivan, aka Medusa." She fell silent, not sure how to go on. "I control lightening bolts like every one of my people and my special power is my hair, it stretches, longer or shorter, its evil, and you can't cut it." The woman was preparing to step away, but Charles had a surprise question.

"Medusa, how is it like to be part of the Lightening People?"

The woman felt uncomfortable, but she never looked away from Charles. "It's to be powerful." She plainly said.

"My name is Catja Rubio, aka Fox. I think you can see why I am called Fox, I look like one and I can also call them with my mind." In a matter of seconds, two foxes appeared from the shrubs and some of the x-men praised Catja, who smiled proudly. "And LP is a family, the only one I have."

Then it was Dave's turn and Rogue felt kind of anxious to know more about him.

"My name is Dave Dylan, some call me Truth, because I can see your true self. Your deepest secrets, which you share with no one; your true desires… Even when you don't know what you really want, I know." He then stared to Rogue's eyes, "Just by looking into your eyes." 

Maybe it was his calm, cold voice, or maybe it really was his power, but everyone felt a chill.

"Also," he continued, "I can manipulate how you feel. For example," he looked to Kurt and the blue elf started to laugh. "like that."

Everyone started to laugh when Kurt couldn't stop his funny laugher "Ok, ok…I don't wanna laugh anymore….pleaaase!" he screamed and so Dave made Nightcrawler feel serene. 

"For me, being part of the Lightening People is the same you feel being part of the x-men…or the brotherhood. It's a family, where you feel appreciated, where you have friends, where you can be who you really are. With no fears." He sad that looking to the floor, the trees or the sky, never to someone and Rogue felt he was lying. She knew that Joe, the one she absorbed the super strength didn't agreed with many points of the Lightening People. Yes, it was a family, but only because he hadn't any other.

The last man spoke quickly, "I'm Gerard. I can be invisible, so they also call me, The Invisible Man. I'm with the LP all my life and I swore to protect our new Queen. That's my job."

They didn't know if they should felt fear from the big black man or feel sorry for his distant way of talk.

The Professor broke the silence, "There's a war going on in Genosha and I need three teams there."

"A team to built shelters: Gerard (Invisible Man); Bobby (Iceman); Jubilee; Wanda; Kurt (Nightcrawler); Rogue; Remy (Gambit); X-23

A team to treat the wounded: Anna (Medusa); Catja (Fox); Pietro (Quicksilver); Warren (angel); Hank (Beast); Jean Grey; Todd (Toad); Kitty (Shadowcat)

And a team to be in the war: Dave (Truth); Logan (Wolverine); Ororo (Storm); Peter (Colossus); Raven (Mystique); John (Pyro); Sabretooth

I want you all ready in the base in 15 minutes. I want to select the team leaders."

With the teams formed they all went to dress their uniforms, but Dave approached the Professor. "Xavier, can I ask a small change?"

"I'm hearing you."

"Can you put Rogue in my team?"

Charles stared at him, confused.

"She's the only one I feel a little more comfortable with at this point." Dave explained. Charles agreed, contacting Rogue telepathically to warn her, but he was sure there was something more. Men like Dave, so young, but already so mature, with such a great power wouldn't gain trust or wouldn't feel comfortable, as he said, in such short time.

"Rogue is going to be in Logan's tem now. Logan's the leader and you'll obey at him. Your team is putted in critical dangerous, you'll be right in the middle of a war; everything Logan decides is to be followed." Charles said and the team flew in a jet.

"Bobby, this is the first time you're going to be a team leader. Do not disappoint me."

"You can count on me, Professor. Let's move!" Bobby felt eager with the responsibility Charles gave him and his team went in the other jet. 

"Finally, Jean you're the leader of the medical team, but I want you to keep an eye on Bobby. Help him if he needs it, Hank covers you on your team. Agree?"

"Yes, we'll keep in touch."

Genosha was true chaos. The X-Men black Jet stopped right above the centre of the war. It was Genosha against the sentinels. Genosha had been a country to mutants for some time now, but the human kind didn't accept that and send Sentinels to destroy mutants and, also, people that didn't mind living with mutants. 

Still inside the jet, the mutants watched in disgust the cruel deaths, the inhuman thirst to kill of the Sentinels and the pain on the eyes of the brave who fought to defend their lives.

Pyro hold Rogue's hand to calm her down and she gave him a silent thank you. Then she saw Dave, who was standing still a meter behind John, watching her. Only John's words made her ignore the constant stare of the other man "If…if you need any help…I…just call me, okay?"

Rogue nodded and squeezed his hand a little harder. And they went to the war, Genosha's war.

Not very far from there, Jean was trying to get some space to lay down the wounded. She wished she had cleaner spaces, she wished she had beds, clean water, food, blankets. But all they could find were small dirty spaces on the floor. The telepath and Beast tried to heal the best they could the wounded, while the rest of their team was bringing more and more injured people. 

"Their cuts will get infected this way Jean!" yelled Beast.

The female doctor looked up from a woman with a pool of blood in her chest and waist; she was also vomiting because of the pain. "I know…" Jean then saw Warren and Kitty trying to hold still an old man " We need a quiet and cleaner place…"

"Why don't you try contact Bobby? Maybe his team has finished some shelter."

Jean nodded and contacted the Iceman telepathically Bobby! Do you have any shelter clean enough to the wounded?

We have two you can use; one of the shelters has water. You can ask your team to bring some to the other shelter. I have Kurt teleporting to the mansion to bring some blankets, if you need anything else ask him. And take all the survivors you find that aren't to much hurt to the shelter with a big red list, please!

Got it, Bobby! Kurt, I need you to bring me more aid kits from the lab. Hurry please.

They could hear the war right where they were, and they could feel the floor trembling. Jean asked her team to run to the shelters and to take everyone they could. Catja, or Fox, was quick and helped the children being together and safe until they arrive the shelter with the red list.

"Mamma! Mammaaa!" A little girl ran away from the group Fox was joining, tears in her eyes, screaming loudly and painfully for her mother. Fox saw her disappearing behind rocks and dead bodies; she started to run after the little girl, but someone grabbed her arm.

"There's no time!" yelled Jean.

"But…"

Jean didn't let her finish the protest and pointed the group of children "Help them!"

Catja looked at her confused and hurt, but a tremor in the floor, which made Jean fall on the floor and the children screaming, moved her to help them.

The shelters weren't hospitals, but Bobby and his team were doing a good job keeping all of it from ruins. "How are you?" Jean asked Fox.

The fox-woman couldn't control the tears, "The little girl…I…"

"We can't save them all. You save all of them." Jean said softly mentioning the children behind them.

"I've been doing this…I've been killing mothers, fathers, sons and daughters…and I didn't realize….the pain…is…"

Jean wanted to calm her down, but she hadn't time for that and Catja was right, the Lightening People provoked many suffering. So she gave her a sad look and went next to the wounded.

It was everything so intense in the battle. The smell of sweat, urine, blood, death. They stepped over bodies and blood. The screaming were so loud, screams of anger, fear and pain. And what you see in a war…indescribable.

Rogue's head was in a incredible pain and she felt she was right in Hell. She punched the Sentinels so hard they broke. Her strength was unbelievable; she could actually grab a Sentinel with 4.5meters and throw it away.

She didn't know who she was anymore, because she had absorb some people by accident, she could only hear and feel the war, loosing the notion of everything else, Rogue was feeling stronger and stronger and she was enjoying it. 

The taste of blood in her mouth was good; the flavour of vengeance (probably from one mutant in the war she accidently touched) was amazing; and killing was a pleasure.

In the middle of a huge, loudly war no one noticed that Rogue was not only destroying the big Sentinel machines but also murdering other mutants; no one heard her screams of pleasure; no one saw her eyes were vivid red. 

Genosha's war lasted hours and hours; it only ended when Charles and Magneto were able to convince the USA to call back the Sentinels. And that only happened when Magneto bought the land. 

Now Magneto own Genosha.

In Genosha, the animalistic Rogue only snapped out of her trance when a yell of victory filled the country. All mutants and non-mutants, that had survived, were screaming in joy and Rogue, with a dizzy head and a weak body, fell on the ground unconscious. 


	9. After the War

**Disclaimer:** X-men belongs to the amazing Stan Lee and this is just a fanfiction. I do not own money, this story is just for my selfish pleasure and all of you that wish to read it.

First of all, my apologies for the late (really late) update, but I'm studying away from home and I didn't have a computer, yes…I didn't!! Now I do!! Yyeeeeei!! I can write fanfics all the time!! …. Easy girl, you need to study too….

Second, I must thank you all for the reviews, you were too kind. I finished reading my chapters and I found to many mistakes lol yeah, English is not my native language, but still… lol I hope I came back better..

I understand if you all lost interest in my fanfic(s), however I'll continue to write it. If any kind soul is willing to spend his/her precious time reading my story, please leave a review. =)

Now, enjoy this juicy chapter… a lot's going on! ^.^

_**Chapter 9 –**__ After the War_

"Rogue? Rogue! Wake up, girl! C'mon…"

As soon as Genosha won the battle, John looked around searching for Rogue. He was feeling great and excited because of that victory, his first victory. And the only person that he wanted by his side in a moment like that was no one other than Rogue. When he found her falling in the middle of many corpses Pyro ran to her in concern.

It was difficult to find out if she was still alive, he couldn't touch her and he wasn't capable to say if she was breathing or not. The mutant picked her up and went to a shelter, warning Jean Rogue needed help.

"Thank you, Pyro. You can leave her with me now." Hank took the young woman to an improvised bed and his huge body didn't let John see anything much. He walked outside worried and angry with himself. He now knew, he couldn't hide it anymore, he loved Rogue, he always had loved her.

"Damn, how could that man give me a job like this?!" protested Medusa to the other Lightening People. "Helping the wounded? I'm not a doctor, I'm a killer! I should have been in the battle!"

"The Queen ordered us to obey the X-Men and we'll do as we were told." Gerard said in his distant voice.

"You look like a machine: must protect the Queen! Must protect the Queen!. It's okay to break the rules once in a while, you know?" said Medusa. Gerard didn't respond to her teasing, he was faithful to his Queen, that was all that matter to him.

Catja, who saw Medusa as a mean and distrustful person, tried to calm her down "It's just for two weeks, than you can get away from here and do whatever you like, Anna. Now let's just keep quiet and do what we were told, right Dave?

However, Dave wasn't paying attention to his "family". His whole concentration was a few meters away from them, in John Allerdyce. Pyro was leaning on the wall, looking to the floor and Dave was reading his secrets. He saw how frightened the boy was, how he was telling to himself that he would tell Rogue he liked her when they went back to the mansion. Dave saw that Pyro, a cold, strong young man, felt completely helpless around the girl. She had chosen Bobby over him, she had taken the cure while he hated that same _cure_, she was an x-men and he left them, Rogue could laugh and he couldn't for a long time… So, why…why…

_…why do I want her so badly?…_ That was the question that John kept asking to himself.

"Dave!" Yelled Anna. "Are you paying any attention to what we're saying?"

He finally looked to Medusa.

"What's wrong with you, man?"

"I've been gathering information. Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?"

Medusa smiled, "Oh, yeah! Tell me dirty secrets, pleaaaase!"

Dave gave a last look to John and went inside of one of the Jets, "Anna, no one exceeds your obscene fantasies. Your mind is incredibly dirty."

The red hair woman frowned and blushed; she needed a moment before reacting, "Hey! I already told you to stay away from my personal issues! You pervert!"

Back to the mansion, the moods were really bad. Everyone felt depressed and confused with what they have seen in Genosha. So much hate towards mutants, so much violence. The Professor told them to take two days off; they could go anywhere and do whatever they want. He knew they would never forget the war, something as violent as that would always hunt them, but at least it would help them to calm down.

Magneto toke those two days to go to Genosha and he went with the Brotherhood of Mutants. It would be the perfect time to set things back on track.

"I know these days had been rough, but you cannot forget our real mission."

"Isn't our mission to defeat the LP?" asked Pietro.

"It should be, but now we have four of them between us. I don't see Charles doing anything to eliminate them." Saberthooth was angry, he hated the X-Men, and the Lightening People; he hated everyone who was a treat.

"Saberthooth is right. Charles wants to convert the LP in people like him, more X-Men. He will not succeed, of course. And in any moment these four people will fight against him. And that will be our chance."

"Why do you want to fight the X-Men?" asked Gambit suddenly.

"Why?" Magneto approached him with balls of metal surrounding him. He was much taller than Gambit, in fact it seemed that he was getting taller. "Let me tell, my brother, that Charles Xavier is nothing but a selfish, greedy and manipulative man. He has a machine, which he calls Cerebro, wand with that he can find any mutant in the whole world. I know because I helped him to create it. However, he only comes to those he thinks are the strongest mutants. Charles is creating an army. He talks about good ideals, about faith and a better life, but what he wants is to rule the world." Magneto raised his voice and started to walk between the mutants. "He already has the X-Men, puppets that would do anything he says. Did he tell you your past, X-23?"

"He tried…" the girl answer uncertain.

"Right, he tried. I say that he tricked you. Did he told you who you really are? " He asked Juggernaut now.

The big man looked confused.

"No. But let me tell you. Cain, you are Xavier's stepbrother. Your father has used to physically abuse you and locked you in that mental hospital I came to rescue you from. Do you think Xavier tried to stop your imprisonment? No, because you were smarter and stronger than him."

"I don't believe you." Said Pietro and his sister agreed. "I've seen the relation between Professor and his students. They respect each other, he listens their opinions, and people have a second chance. Look at Mystique."

"Son…"

"And I like his dream."

"Me too", said Wanda. "Humans and mutants living together? I want to fight for something like that, father. We're going back and it would be better if you stay here."

Pietro and Wanda walked away, leaving a very upset leader behind. Gambit and X-23 followed them.

"What now, Magneto?" asked John.

"Go back, Pyro."

"What? But I wanna fight for you."

"And you are. Be an X-Men again and control everything for me. You're going to bring me new and more powerful allies."

John knew what he wanted, to destroy the X-Men union. "How?"

"Reveal them the true Professor X. And please, start with Rogue. Someone with her power should be with me. I will guide her to finally control her powers."

"You…you could do that? Help her to control her mutation, I mean?"

"Trust me, Pyro." Magneto smiled, a cold and mean smile, he knew that Rogue was the right motivation for Pyro. If she had full control over her power she would be happier and, more important, she would be able to touch him.

And he trusted him. He was the one he chose as his leader after all, and John would always be faithful to his beliefs. Also, knowing that there was a chance for Rogue to be able to touch again… that was the most important for him. Now that John was with her again, he would do anything for her. Even if that meant he had to betray the X-Men or anyone else.

When Pietro, Wanda, Remy, X-23 and John came back alone and gave the X-Men Magneto's plan, most of the team felt they couldn't trust those who came back. Professor also had a hard time dealing with the news, because deep down he was hoping to convince Magneto to join him. His companion was so nice and comfortable. It would be difficult to sleep alone again. The Professor asked Mystique to lead some exercises, like fishing, camping or even Climb Mountains, to which the shape shifter immediately agreed. Charles was giving her the chance to lead the X-Men, to bring them and the ex-members of the brotherhood together. So, Mystique was arranging everything so they all could go camping next weekend.

Rogue was in the garden, leaning against a big tree trunk and taking advantage of its shadow. Her laptop, a gift from Hank, resting in her lap while she surfed the Net. She had her MSN on and noticed that the Dr. was online too, probably chatting with Trish Tilby. She smiled with that thought. Every time she saw Beast smiling she felt happy, serene and that life wasn't that bad. The Beast had a girlfriend, and that really put her in good mood. She was about to chat with Hank when she heard him.

"ahhh…Shit! Fuck! Fuck! God! Fuck!" Dave was breathing heavily, leaning against the same tree trunk as Rogue, despite he couldn't see her because it was big and the young woman was in the other side of the trunk. The mutant grabbed his head and closed his eyes, trying to focus, to stop the flush of feelings. He had complete control over his power when concerning the feeling manipulation. However he wasn't able to stop feeling everyone's sentiments and would feel too many moods at the same time. And being in a mansion full of young mutants could be painful.

Some were depressed, other cheerful, excited, angry, in love, worried, many were horny. He had to take a time to hear himself thinking so he went to the garden, far from the Mansion. Dave was finally calming down when a voice startled him:

"Are you feeling ok?"

He looked to Rogue with eyes open wide. He taught he was alone, he didn't felt her there. Well, he never did. She was… a closed book, from the start. That girl was the only person he knew that he couldn't read.

"So…?" asked Rogue as he didn't answer her. He kept staring to the girl in the floor which made her uncomfortable.

But he couldn't tell if she was uncomfortable. It was like she had no feelings, she could easily trick him. That made him angry, frustrated, scared, but also…intrigued, and serene. It was good that serenity. He only felt his own sentiments; it was so quiet over her.

The young man passed his fingers through his black hair and sit next to Rogue, surprising her.

"Just a strong headache."

"Know how you feel. Beast can give you something if you ask him." Said Rogue smiling. She really did know how he felt, because she had been leading with headaches for a really long time.

"I'm good now, but thanks." He leaned over her laptop, his face too close to hers, which tensed her whole body. He shouldn't be so reckless. "What are you doing?" he asked, his breath caressing her face when he leaned his head a little more to her as he spoke. His eyes in the laptop all the time.

"Could you…huh…" Truth couldn't read her feelings but he certainly could feel that Rogue's breath was irregular and so he looked at her, trying to understand what was the problem. But he had no idea.

Rogue stared to his green eyes and blushed a little, "Hmm…could you please step away from me a little?!"

"Oh! I'm sorry…"

She saw him confused so added, "It's because of my mutation. It's dangerous if you are too close to me." She said while touching her white hair stripe.

Dave still looked puzzled, "Are you going to hit me?"

Remembering he only knew her super strength she started to laugh, "No, you silly." She answered still laughing, "I don't start punching people just because they are near me! It's my original mutation." Rogue stopped laughing, but had a smile in her lips while speaking. "I absorb people's energy through skin contact." She lifted her gloved hand "That's why I wear gloves while baking. I'm not a lunatic."

Dave leaned his head to the tree watching the blue sky and reflecting about what she said, "So, you can't control it?"

"Nope."

_That's why you took the cure._ he thought, still staring at the sky. "Hmm, that sucks, huh?"

Rogue started to laugh with his reaction, he was so…strange. She liked that.

"Are you always laughing?" the man asked with a narrow eyebrow.

"Only when I'm not with an headache. Do you never laugh?"

But he never answered that. He realized Rogue was right, there had been a long time since his last laugh, since his last smile. Just like that guy, Pyro. Dave stayed there hearing her laugh, it felt good, though he couldn't join her in that. Both stayed under the tree till dinner time and only Rogue broke the silence a few times when something Dave couldn't understand on her laptop frustrated her.

**:Yeah, I know, Mystique hasn't reveal that secret yet…hmm, soon, soon, lool. Hope you have enjoyed this chapter. By the way, I really am liking Dave…black hair, pale, green eyes, mysterious…hmmm! Leave a review and I'l be happy! Eheh thanks:**


	10. Camping Weekend Activity 1

_**Chapter 10 - **__ Camping weekend, Activity 1_

**Friday**

Raven smiled when she saw the Sun light showing up from behind the dark clouds, "Thank you, Storm." The blue woman said, "Thanks to you our weekend would be ruined."

"Don't mention it. I know what this weekend means to you, and how much hard was to convince everyone to join us. It is a good idea to camp, the Lightening People have been among us for a weak, some new mutants joined us, old enemies are becoming our allies…" Ororo smiled to the other woman, she was learning to trust her. Mystique had been doing all the dirty work that Logan came up with and she also started to think a little like an X-Men. And now, she arranged everything for the weekend –the activities, the teams, the place, the weather with Ororo's help, the transportation… everything.

"So, are we going to stay near any town?" asked Jubilee.

"Of course not!" exclaimed an eager shape shifter. "We're going to the woods, with no civilization near us, so we can use our powers and have fun." She informed them at the same time she helped Kitty and Bobby, who were putting their tends and bags into a jeep.

"Are we going hunting too?" asked Catja, "I don't really like to hunt, many foxes die during that _sport_."

"Don't worry, Fox, I didn't plan anything like hunting or fishing, but activities much more enthusiastic."  
"Well, thanks for that, but what are we going to eat, then?"

Mystique froze looking at the girl with the pointy hears. She forgot that a detail, the food. "I…uh…"

"You forgot, Mystique?!" John yelled. "How could you forget the most important thing in our lives? Or is it a plan to kill us by starvation."

"I'm sorry…I…I think we can pass through some village and buy some food." Mystique suggested.

"Don't worry, I'll prepare some food to take." Offered Rogue. "Some quick and delicious food, don't you worry!"

"Oh my God, don't let her cook… no, no, no" murmured some of the X-Men, "Rogue, your food is horrible" Jubilee said what everyone wanted to say.

"Wha--?" Rogue felt puzzled, she loved to cook, and her food couldn't be that bad.

"I rather eat plants…" Logan murmured to Ororo, who punched him in the arm.

"I can help Rogue." Dave's voice was cold and serious like always and for a moment everyone fell in silence not knowing if they could trust him. "I promise you I am a good cook." He spoke without taking his eyes off of Rogue, making her wander why was he being so distant with her if two days ago he was resting under a tree next to her.

"No!" John, Mystique and Logan said suddenly, which made Rogue even more puzzled. The girl stared to the three trying to understand what the problem was.

"Is my cook that bad?"

" I…huh…I…" John stuttered a little. He didn't mean to say that out loud, but he just didn't trusted that guy. He said he could read someone's feelings and desires, which means he could easily manipulate anyone. And the way he was looking to Rogue was scary; somehow, John felt some sort of a tension between Dave and Rogue. "I mean, Rogue ruins any food she touches. Have you tried one of her cakes?"

Mystique also came out with an excuse, "I need her to drive one of the Jeeps, since she's the only one that Logan taught to drive in the woods. And you can go meet us in a bike." But the truth was that Mystique also noticed the way the young man looked at Rogue.

Logan walked towards the mutant from the Lightening People only stopping when they both were face to face. They were about the same size, both bodies well built, though Wolverine' shoulders were a little wider. "Listen, punk," Wolverine started, "I don't trust you at all, you mind reader, and next time I catch you reading Rogue's thoughts or anyone else's…" he popped out his calws, "…You'll taste these friends of mine."

Despite they're being too close to each other, Dave was able to move a little closer, "I'm not a simple mind reader and you should worry to hide your own little dark desires, _Logan_."

"Enough." Professor X came out with Jean. "You all should go now and enjoy the day. Logan, I'm sorry but I need you to stay with Jean and Beast. There's something I need you to see."

Logan sent Dave a last threatened glare and went inside the Mansion.

"I'll meet you in the woods, then." Said Dave and went to the kitchen to prepare some food.

"We're taking four Jeeps, people." Announced Mystique . "And each Jeep will leave the mansion in different directions. You all have a map with two references witch: the point you leave and the point you should arrive at."

"Orientation, huh?"

"Exactly. The first team to arrive will have the best place to camp: with tree shadows in the morning, nice pavement and near the river; the second and third Jeep arriving of course will have the second best places; and the last team, well, rough pavement, too much sunlight in the morning, near some insect nests and will have to walk one hour to arrive to the river."

"Damn…"

They all were silent during the first 15 minutes of traveling, however the excitement of being alone for a weekend made them forget all about what happened before.

"Yeeeeeiii! We're all alone for a whole weekend!" Bobby exclaimed and lay his arm on Kitty's shoulders.

"You are not all alone, young man." Ororo said while driving the Jeep. "You have activities and responsibilities."

Pietro laughed, "No offense, but you think you and Raven we'll be able to look after all of us?"

"Well, I expect you all are mature enough to be capable to take care of yourselves."

Wanda laughed, "Don't worry, Storm, the girls will take care of the boys."

"I don't need you to be taken care of!" argued Pietro, "Anyway, this map is easy to follow; we're getting there in no time."

Gerard, Catja and Anna were in the same Jeep. Dave would be on that team when he arrived so while cooking in the mansion he was also praying for them not to arrive in last. Catja, the fox girl, felt a little bad for being in that team, she was the youngest and she enjoyed the company of the X-Men. These two were…too quiet and angry (and Dave was too quiet and cold…). So she leaned back and let Medusa and the invisible man take care of that activity, she was too scared to say anything.

Rogue was driving the last Jeep, with John sitting next to her staring at the map.

"So…? Left or right, John?" asked Rogue.

"Well…huh…"

"You don't know how to read a map, do you?"

"Of course I do, who do you think I am?!"

Rogue sighed and looked into the rearview mirror to see Remy and X-23 that were sitting on the back sit, "Hey, guys, anyone knows how to read a ---?"

Kiss, Kiss, intimate touches, KISS

"…What the HELL do you think you're doing back there?!" exploded Rogue.

X-23 ditch Remy roughly, "I'm sorry, it's his fault. He can't take his hand off of me!"

"That's, ma chère, it's because you're so damn irresistible."

Rogue blushed and shouted "You guys stop that?! You have plenty of time to…to…do that…when…in the woods…"

"In the woods…?" Remy spoke as if he was picturing the situation. "Nice…We definitely have to try that, X."

and back to the rough kisses and intimate touches

Rogue blushed even more, "AH—STOP THAT!"

"No use, Rogue," John said calmly, "Gambit finally found out how to copulate."

*strong smack in John's head*

"HEY!"

"For your information, Remy here has more experience than you can imagine."

"That much, huh?" asked X-23.

Remy hugged the young woman once again, "Aaww, don't be jealousy, my sweet cupcake. All that experience was preparing me to be the perfect mate in your sweet, sweet disflower time."

"Cu..cupcake? … sweet disflower time?"

Noticing that Rogue was looking troubled, John placed his hand over Rogue's gloved hand and asked her "Are you alright?"

All blushed and uncomfortable, she looked from his hand to his eyes (which were, she noticed, truly attractive) and then to the car ceiling, "CAN ANYONE PLEASE TELL ME WHERE TO TURN?!!!"

"Go right," answered Remy. "that path is more rural and we're going to the woods, must be the right one."

"What?" asked John not being satisfied with his explanation?

"You sure?"

"Trust me Rogue."

Rogue assented and turned right.

"Rogue…that was a stupid explanation, you know that, right?!"

"Hmpf, at least he had an answer."

"This is so careless…" murmured John.

Colossus team was also having some trouble in finding the way. The four in the car kept shouting to each other, saying different directions till they finally reach a dead end.

"I told you guys this wasn't the way!" Yelled Jubilee.

"We must have turned wrong on the last intersection." Said Angel while looking to the map.

"No way! It was before that!" argued the girl.

"Why are you yelling?!" asked an anger Angel, "You're always so calm and relaxed."

"That's when I'm not in a competition and this is one!! And I'm so not going to sleep near the ants!"

"Ants?"

"Colossus, turn back the Jeep and follow my leads! Angel, give me back the map and keep quiet! Nightcrawler teletransport yourself to that village we passed through and ask for direction!"

"Teletransport? Isn't that cheating…?"

"Why is she calling us by our code names?"

"So bossy…"

"NOW!" ordered Jubilee a last time, and the three men did what she said.

Colossus team… no, wait, Jubilee team was not the first to arrive, but they were happy to be second place, together with the LP team. Ororo's team arrived in first place and settled the tents right away. I don't need to say that Rogue and the others were going to sleep with the ants.

When Mystique and Dave arrived in a bike with the food (yeah, Raven had a stomachache and had to go to the bathroom…) Rogue's team was still not there. They waited for a while, but when the sun started to vanish they went to look for them.

Standing beside the Jeep, Rogue and X-23 were staring at the map while waiting for the boys that insisted they needed to take a leak.

"Waaaah!" exclaimed Remy while he stretch his arms up, "That was a relief." He then came to hug his girlfriend but she popped her claws out in the middle of them.

"Don't you even think to put those dirty hands near me!"

"But chère, how can I resist? The sun is almost gone; we probably have to sleep on that back seat, really tight."

Hearing Remy's words, Rogue grabbed John's arm, "What? Sleeping here, in the woods? For real?"

"Well, Rogue, that's the idea of camping you know?" Said John at the same time he tried to let his arm loose, because the young woman was clasping a little too hard.

"But, John…only the four of us? All alone in the woods…at night?" she clasped his arm even harder.

"Ouch! Rogue! You're hurting me!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, super strength."

"What are you afraid, anyway?" asked John, rubbing his bruised arm. "Haven't you fight many mutants already?"

"But…but" *sobs* "that's different…at night, in the woods, there are… *sobs*…monsters…"

John sighed and Remy was about to laugh when a frightened, little voice came from X-23. "Monsters?" she asked, and grabbed Rogue's hands, "What kind of monsters, Rogue?"

"Oh, chère! There are no monsters…"

"Rogue, stop scaring the girl." Said John. "Let's get back into the Jeep."

They drove a little further, but they was still lost (although the boys would never confess that).

"Wait!" exclaimed Rogue. "I have an idea!"

"What?"

"X, don't you have a super nose sense or something, like Wolverine?"

"Yeah, so…?"

The other three stared at her for a moment (Rogue and John were all turned to the back seat) but the girl seemed not to understand the idea. John finally said it out loud, "Well…go sniff Mystique around. You know her scent."

"Wha---? I'm not a dog!!!" she yelled.

"No one is saying that!" exclaimed Pyro, "You're just being useful!"

"You're treating me like an animal! Gambit, do something!"

"Well, love…"

"What? You too want me to go sniff like a dog?"

"Wolverine does it all the time, X." said Rogue.

"No way!"

"Please…" Rogue sobbed, "…before the monsters awakening…it's already night…"

John couldn't believe it! That was having an actual effect on X-23, who began to sob too and nodding in agreement.

*KNOCK!* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

They weren't expecting that someone in the middle of the night, in the woods would come and knock in the window next to Rogue. We can't forget that the theme of the discussion between the four mutants was about monsters, the reaction couldn't be any other than:

"AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!" a collective scream.

Rogue grabbed Pyro's jacket collar, knowing that someone (no, something!) had just knocked in her window, and they both scream in each other's face.

Gambit pulled X-23 to him and hugged her and the two screamed with eyes shut and hugging.

"Ah…" said the person outside, not expecting a reaction like that. "Are you…ok?"

It was Catja (the Fox), Bobby and Kitty. Catja sniffed a shirt that Kitty had loaned from Rogue and they easily found them. They just didn't expect them to found in such state. However, they didn't dare to make fun of them, because the four were too angry with the situation and they could kill someone with a single glance.

_**::So? What do you think of this chap? Hope you enjoyed it ^^::**_


	11. Hurt feelings

_**Chapter 11 – **__Weekend Camping – Hurt Feelings_

**Saturday Morning**

It was 7am when Rogue woke up. She pushed back her blanket and moaned uncomfortable, the inside of the tent was so hot. It was unbearable. When the young woman noticed she was almost out of air, she quickly opened the tent's zip and placed her head out.

Gambit and his girlfriend were putting their backpacks already, "Couldn't sleep either, huh?" asked the young man.

"Gosh! It's so hot in here! It looks like I'm being cooked alive."

The other two laughed a little.

"We're going to the river, right now. Wanna join us?"

"Nah…I think I'll try to sleep outside a little more."

X-23 opened her mouth to say something, but Remy shut her.

"Is John still sleeping?" asked Rogue while putting her airbed outside.

"Yup." Answered X, "I think he can sleep very well inside, since his mutation is fire and all."

"Well, we're going, Rogue. See ya later."

Rogue nodded and fell asleep right away.

"We should have told her that isn't the brightest idea, Remy!" murmured X-23 when they were a little further.

"Oh, chère, we learned through our own experience, so let her live the same experience."

"Being all bitten by a bunch of ants and many other kind of disgusting insects isn't the best experience."

"Don't remind me, I'm still itchy." Gambit scratch his whole body.

In fact, Rogue soon woke up, victim of insects' bites. She felt so upset and desperate that she entered in John's tent and yelled:

"Wake up, sunshine! It's time to wake up!"

"Damn, Rogue! What do you think you're doing?" John kicked the girl to make her leave the tent, but she was persistent and stronger than him.

Pulling him out, Rogue explained him how known else from the team could sleep, so he should wake up too.

"One more reason to sleep." Said John. "I'll be full charged for the next activities."

"Don't give me that excuse, John Allycerd. I want to take a bath…or what is more similar to a bath in the middle of the woods…and you're going with me!"

Well, if she was going to take a bath, of course John couldn't decline the invitation. The two were walking for two hours already and the river was nowhere to be found.

"We're lost, aren't we John?"

"Of course not! We..huh…We just took the furthest root. We must be almost there…"

Rogue sighed, she knew they were lost and that she should had went with Gambit and X-23 sooner. "Let's go back, John! I'm tired!"

"We're close! Can't you hear the water?"

"Not real."

But John was right, they soon arrived to a small river; however it wasn't the same they were looking for. If it was the others would be there, and Ororo's team was camping near.

"Where are we?" asked Rogue staring at the lake.

"I don't know…" the young man admitted, also staring at the lake discouraged.

"Well, let's take a bath right here." Rogue said while taking off her clothes. John tried not to look to the girl in her bikini, staring at the water. "The left side of the lake is mine. Don't come near me, I don't want to touch you accidentally."

John nodded still not looking at the young woman. He felt uncomfortable being alone with her…with her in a bikini, that is.

"Ahhh! It's wonderful! Aren't you coming in, fire man?"

John dived into the river and started to swim to lighten the tension in his whole body. When he finally stopped Rogue was already outside, all wrapped up in a long and heavy red towel, shaking.

He came out of the water, "That's my towel."

"I'm sorry, John" She said and gave him back the towel, "I think I forgot my towel inside my tent. But it's ok, I'll dry with this sun easily."

Watching to her shaking body, John wrapped her again in the towel, "You're shaking." He said moving the girl near him and scrubbing her arms.

Rogue almost touched his wet body and shyly looked up to him. John's strong and serious face was intimidating but his warm eyes gave him up. They weren't scary at all, quite the contrary; Rogue felt secure and serene staring inside them. The girl felt his hands movements slowing down and moving towards her back, pushing her to his chest. She let herself go, the towel was protecting them, and there was no fear. Feeling John's body through the towel, Rogue noticed how hot he was. Or was she who was hot? She definitely was blushing. Why was his face so close to hers? She could already feel his unsteady breath on her mouth. And why the hell wasn't she backing away?

Rogue felt her body leaning to him even more, searching for his comfortable embrace. "John…" she murmured when his lips were almost touching hers.

"Rogue…" he said staring at the small distance between their lips. John saw the girl shutting her eyes and he wished to kiss her so badly.

She didn't know why she was doing that, all needy. She hated to look such a needy and easy girl. She hated to be so… _vulnerable_. But he was John, he wouldn't judge her, he wouldn't care if she looked vulnerable. No matter how she looked, he would…he would _accept_ her.

Or so she thought…

Suddenly he grabbed her arms and forced her to move away. She opened up her eyes in surprise and she couldn't see the warm anymore.

Rogue stood there, wrapped in the towel, her hair still dripping, her mouth slightly opened but incapable to project any sound.

"We should get back. It's getting late." She heard John's words as sharpened razors cutting her heart and mind. What happened? Why did he…why? Staring at his back as he walked away, Rogue felt the tears threatening to come out.

She felt wounded. She showed him her weak side, her caring, lonely, vulnerable side. She practically said _I want you_ and he…he rejected her like that.

Rogue was a proud girl, she liked to pretend she was tough and lately she was more like a spoiled and crybaby. Why was she becoming someone she despites so much? Her fights with Logan made her look like a kid, her short temperament made her look like a spoiled girl, her winning made her look like…

She was becoming too emotional. Her head started to hurt but she kept quiet and followed John. It was enough.

**Masion-X**

Beast turned off the tape that Trish landed him. His girlfriend was at the Genosha's War filming to broadcast later on the news, but it was too morbid to show everyone. And there were scenes that would compromise certain mutants, one of them, she knew, was important to Hank.

He saw his friends' reactions. Jean with sad eyes; Charles certainly blaming himself for not noticing that sooner and thinking what he could do now; and Logan, indecipherable but tense.

"Rogue is out of control." Said the Professor, finally. They were watching her transformation in battle and it was scary.

"I'm going to get her."

"No, Logan. This weekend may be good to her. She may relax and have fun, that's what Rogue needs right now. She can't get too emotionally or she may explode. Go and keep an eye on things. But remember, don't push her."

After Logan went away, the other three fell in silence. They all knew what an uncontrolled mutant could provoke. Also, they were all aware part of the phoenix was inside of her. Despite they believe it was too weak to have an impact, it was always a risk.

**Camping**

**Sturday, 2.00pm**

All the teams were eating what they had hunt or fish, except for Rogue's team which members were annoyed, tired and embarrassed. X-23 and Gambit were yelling at each other while Rogue and John were quietly staring at the water pretending to be fishing.

"Look at them…" said X-23 pointing at the other teams. They were all eating fish or meat. "What is wrong with us?"

"Mon Dieu!" exclaimed Remy, "Look at Mystique! She's eating home-made food!"

"Hey! That's not fair, Raven!" John said, "You're eating Dave's food!"

"I'm in charge here, young man! You can eat this tonight, but right now you should try to find your own food."

"But we can't…"

"It's like some higher power is against us…" Rogue whispered staring at the bright sky.

"Really…?" next to Rogue, X followed her eyes up in the sky, imagining what this higher power could be. "Like a god, Rogue?"

The young woman nodded, "Hmm-hmm. A wicked god who plans to torture us, mere pawns in a huge and complex universe."

"I bet is laughing at us right now. A perverse laugh…"

Remy and John were staring at the girls, how could they imagine such things?

"We have enough food to split with you." Ororo announced. "We're going to climb a mountain and you can't go with an empty stomach."

"Really?" X asked. "You're really giving us your food?" The girl wasn't used to receive help from anyone and Ororo's words touched her.

"Of course, child. Come, sit with us."

"Thank you, so much!"

As they sat near the others, Dave noticed that John's feelings were more conflicted than usual and saw Rogue in is thoughts. Although he tried his best to read Rogue's feelings it was in vain but he saw her looking at the young man with sad and wounded eyes. Something had happen between the two. Dave couldn't resist and read John's mind, he saw his conflict between caring deeply for Rogue and his personal mission. John was a traitor, he would reject love. Dave new that kind of people: too afraid to be happy, a little like himself actually; the mission would always be more important than anything else, than anyone else. And he was forgetting his own mission, he should stop focusing on Rogue and that kid, he had to investigate everyone secrets and create conflict between the x-men.

Looking to the young couple, Iceman and Shadowcat he decided to start with those two. They didn't had any secret that could ruin their relationship, so he played with their emotions, making them feel angry and tired with each other presence. It was a subtle change of feelings so no one else could realize.

When the teams arrived to the mountains, Ororo was feeling depressed and went back to the camp to meditate. She was extra cautious with her feelings since she knew about her pregnancy so she meditated a lot this days, t helped her. Dave was the cause of her depressed feelings, but new she was difficult to control because of Ororo's geat conscious about her inner self.

As soon as he discovered Remy's dark past, it was easy to make him feel guilty and angry. He was angry with himself and that was the worst someone could feel. Making X-23 more sensible to her own fear of rejection the two would soon be unbearable, not only to each other but to everyone around them.

"You stupid, arrogant boy!" Wanda yelled when her team was already climbing the mountain. "I told you this wasn't the best path to climb the mountain, now we're lost Pietro!"

"Shut up! No one else had a better idea!"

"I bet you did this on purpose." Murmured Bobby. "You want us to loose this proof…or maybe even die. Tell the true, you're still working under Magneto's orders, Pietro."

"He did the best he could, Bobby, stop accusing everyone."

"Oh, now you're defending your new boyfriend?" Bobby asked Kitty in a rough tone.

"Don't talk to her like that. She deserves someone much better than you, _icy_." Pietro yelled.

Above them, Medusa was laughing, "Is this your doing, Dave?"

"Isn't that what you wanted?"

Medusa laugh, "Finally! The show has begun."


End file.
